Business Examiner Thompson/Okanagan - April 2016

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APRIL 2016

–PAGE 5 West Kelowna Business Park Industrial Office Retail

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KELOWNA C. Stevens Construction forming and framing

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INDEX News Update

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Kelowna 3 Vernon 4 Summerland 10 Kamloops 22 Salmon Arm

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Movers and Shakers 28 Opinion 30 Sales 31 GreenSheet 31 Contact us: 1-866-758-2684

OUR 8TH YEAR

Walters Wins National Speaking Award Hockey player turned professional development specialist, sees success

O

SOYOOS – Ryan Walter, former NHL star and renowned leadership expert has been recognized as TEC Canada‘s 2015 Canadian Speaker of the Year.

The award was given for his Thinking Tendencies Model keynote, and was officially presented to him at an event in Calgary.

Winners are determined through a cumulative evaluation by TEC’s membership, consisting of the country’s leading executives and entrepreneurs.

“Like you, I don’t play to lose,” says Walters. “I play to be the best in the world. As an NHL player for 15 seasons, I competed against the top 700 players in the world. As a professional speaker, trainer and performance expert I am excited to be recognized as the best in TEC’s world.

“I am very grateful that the membership felt strongly enough about the value they received from my sessions to give me this incredible honour. Everyday my goal is to re-discover and deliver my best game in order to change the corporate climate of the businesses I’m interacting with.”

PHOTO CREDIT: TEC CANADA

Walter’s passion for helping organizations bring out their ‘best game’ didn’t happen overnight.

It was developed through years of hard work, determination,

persevera nce, a nd g u ida nce from other leaders. This process of personal development and growth is representative of his approach to life and profession.

SEE TEC CANADAS | PAGE 10

Construction Company Wins Contractor of the Year Award Cantex-Okanagan: Awarded Honour From Transportation Ministry

BY DAVID HOLMES

Canadian Publications Mail Acct.: 40069240

Photo from left: TEC Canada Best Practice Chair Liam Christie presents Ryan Walter with the 2015 Canadian Speaker of the Year Award

“Recognition like this proves out a very important, universal winning principle, one that works as a player and coach in the NHL and as a business executive. The principle is simple but powerful ‘Focus and energy must be placed firmly on process, not on outcomes.’

“Difficult times sometimes redirect our focus. John Wooden, the ‘winningest’ basketball coach in NCAA history, taught me this concept when he said, “I don’t worry too much about winning or losing. I worry (or focus our team’s attention) about practicing the details (the process) that gives us the win (outcome).””

That mentality has been one of the key contributors to Walter’s success over the years, and was one of the main reasons for his interest in collaborating with TEC Canada. He started working as a speaker with the organization in September of 2013.

“I was really impressed with their exceptional business model,” he says. “I am attracted to the idea of intentional growth.

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ENTICTON – Receiving the Contractor of the Year Award from the provincial Transportation Ministry is only the latest accolade for Penticton’s Cantex-Okanagan Construction Ltd. “We’ve won a few awards during the past few years, we’ve

been runner up a few times but it’s always nice to win. It’s a form of recognition that we’re doing the job right. We’ve been fairly successful since 2008. With pretty much every one of our Ministry jobs we’ve been either a runner up or we’ve been Contactor of the Year,” explained Cantex-Okanagan’s General

Manager Paul Carey.

Winning in the Grading Category, the company earned the honour for the work it did on a section of Highway 97 which was located just south of 100 Mile House. The $7.8 million four-lane expansion effort involved widening a 4.5 kilometre section of the highway and was part of the

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$200 million Cariboo Connector Upgrade Project (Phase 2). The funding is part of the overall BC On The Move 10-year provincial transportation plan.

“Improving highway capacity and reliability is a key priority in BC On The Move, I would like to SEE CANTEX-OKANAGAN | PAGE 27

NEWS UPDATE

2 OLIVER BC and Oliver partner on irrigation repair The BC government and the Town of Oliver a re pa r tnering on a $1-million repair project to an irrigation system so area fruit, vegetable and crop growers can continue to be an economic driver in the region.

The project will repair a sect ion of pip e ne a r Ga l l a g her La ke that was da maged by a January rock slide to ensu re the Town of Oliver, the Osoyoos I nd ia n Ba nd, a nd about 400 farmers in the Regional District of the Okanagan Similkameen (RDOS) have reliable access to irrigated water. The BC government is providing $525,000 to the project, with the Town of Oliver contributing $475,000.

T he section of pipe is pa r t of a n i rrigation system that con nects water users w ith a ca na l about f ive k i lomet res north of Ol iver. T he section damaged in the slide was installed in 1997 and is over two metres in diameter, made of reinforced concrete, and was b u r i e d a b o u t t h re e m e t re s below the surface.

T he two ph a se project i nvolves the insertion of a sleeve i n t h e d a m a ge d pip e to a llow the water to f low for the short-term, while the permanent replacement of the pipe and stabilization of the area around the slide will continue this summer and into the fall.

T he Ol iver a rea is home to over 30 wineries and produc e s m o re t h a n $3 0 m i l l i o n worth of w i ne g rapes, cherries, peaches, apples and forage crops each yea r. A l most a l l crops i n the a rea requ i re irrigation water to grow, with irrigation usually beginning in early April.

BC growers produced more than 126,000 tonnes of apples, cherries, peaches, pears, plums/prunes, nectarines and apricots in 2014. The total represents nearly 30 per cent of Canadian production and $105 million in farm cash receipts.

APRIL 2016

The province’s grape growers work to meet the demand for h ig h-qu a l it y g rap es for BC’s internationally famous wine industry. BC is home to over 4,000 hectares in grape production a nd over 26,000 tonnes of grapes. In 2014, BC’s wine and table grape production was valued at almost $47 million in farm cash receipts, accounting for 14 per cent of the province’s overall total fruit receipts and 40 per cent of Canada’s total grape receipts.

requirements for those wishing to become home inspectors.

This review will help develop a single occupational standard for all BC home inspectors. Results are expected to be in place in 2017.

In 2009, BC became the first jurisdiction in Canada to requ i re l icensi ng of home i nspectors. British Columbia and Alberta are the only two provinces that regulate home inspectors in Canada. There are approx i mately 483 l icensed home inspectors in BC

BC

PENTICTON

Stronger home inspector licensing rules will protect consumers New requirements for home inspectors will give consumers increased confidence when they purchase a home.

The rules take effect on Sept.

1, 2016, and will enhance home inspector licensing qualificat ion s, st reng t hen home i nspect ion repor ts, cont racts and insurance requirements, and improve enforcement, by requiring the following: Home inspection contracts must describe in advance what will be covered in an inspection.

Contractual terms that limit home inspectors’ liability will be prohibited.

New business record-keeping requirements will be put in place for home inspectors.

Home inspectors will be required to have valid professional and general liability insurance.

In 2013, the provincial government invited public input on an improved regulatory model for home inspectors. The resulting changes are based on public input, as well as research and consultation with home inspector associations and home inspectors, Consumer Protection BC and other stakeholders.

The Province will also undertake a comprehensive review of the qualifications required to perform home inspections and develop new, more rigorous training and examination

stronger connections between local training programs and the business community to ensure alignment between training and employer needs, as well as creating an economic development st rateg y a nd reg ion a l training calendar.

T he su m m it bu i lds on ongoing work between the City of Penticton and the Ministry of Jobs, Tou r i sm a nd Sk i l l s Training and Responsible for Labour to support skills training and labour market development in the region. Attendees were asked to prioritize key goals identified in the labour market strategy and identify local champions to move them fo r w a rd . T h e s u m m i t a l s o i ncluded a pa nel d iscussion with successful local business o w n e rs a n d o p e ra to rs w h o shared their experiences in recruiting, training and retaining staff, as well as other positive workplace strategies. The final labour market strategy will be ava i lable on l i ne i n Apri l at: http://www.penticton.ca/ According to the 2014 Growi ng i n the Oka naga n 2020 Labour Market Outlook: M o re t h a n 62 p e r c e n t o f Sout h Ok a n aga n employers hire seasonal workers.

I n 2011, 19 p er cent of t he w o rk i n g p o p u l a t i o n i n t h e South Okanagan was between the ages of 55 to 64; 24.6 per cent were between the ages of 45 to 54 years.

T he South Okanagan Business Solutions Forum Project shares business solutions and training resources and is a collaboration between the City of Penticton, Okanagan College, local and regional chambers of commerce and the Ministry of Jobs, Tou rism, a nd Ski l ls Training and Responsible for Labour.

Business leaders prioritize actions to attract workers Sout h Ok a n a ga n b u si ne ss leaders gathered in Penticton today to share ideas on how to attract and retain workers at a summit where the findings of a reg ion a l labou r m a rket strategy were released to the community.

The City of Penticton received $71,300 from the Province’s Com mu n ity a nd Employer Partnership fund to research emerging labour market trends a nd to develop a th ree-yea r st rateg y to help loca l bu sinesses attract and retain skilled workers.

T he strateg y bu i lds on the f i n d i n g s o f a 2 01 4 L a b o u r M a rk e t O ut lo ok f u n d e d b y the Province that identified a labour shortage in the South Ok a n a ga n a nd ne e d for i ncreased training capacity, especially in the trades. It found that South Okanagan employers estimate their hiring needs w i l l g row by 2 2 per cent by 2020, especially for in-demand jobs like general farm workers, computer prog ra m mers a nd interactive media developers, cooks, technical sales specialists, user support technicians and retail sales.

The biggest challenge cited by the employers interviewed for the new labour market strategy was the lack of qualified and skilled workers available locally. Recommendations to address this include: developing

A i r por t Master Pla n, wh ich focuses on capacity improvements and upgrades within the existing airport lands without expansion or runway extension. T he estimated cost for improvements is $2.056 million. The City will be pursuing grant funding to offset the costs of improvements.

“This option will preserve the Vernon Regional Airport as one of BC’s best general aviation airports in the next 20 years” said Roy Nuriel, Long Range Planner.

A m on g t h e re c om m e nd e d i mprovement s a re r u nway, taxiway and apron rehabilitation; the Captain Bailey Way a rea a long Ta x iway Ch a rl ie leased for hangar development; the construction of a permanent term i na l bu i ld i ng; a nd improvements to landscaping, gates, signage and branding.

A l s o i n c lu d e d i n t h e re co m m e n d a t i o n s fo r a i r p o r t improvements are the development of new hangars at Tronson Road, a dedicated helipad, an Airport operation shop and a vehicle storage building.

BC Support for women to start a career in the trades

Council votes to maximize airport value without expansion

T he Government of BC announced $1.8 million for the Women i n T rad e s T ra i n i n g (WITT) initiative through the Industry Training Authority (ITA) to help support women to get the skills and training they need to start a career in the trades.

W h i le t here a re more a nd more women pursuing trades c a r e e r s i n B r i t i s h C o l u mbi a, t he percentage of m a le jou r ney men is st i l l sig n i f ica ntly h ig her tha n fema les.

Wit h t he add it ion of nea rly one million job openings expected in the province by 2024, women will play an increasingly important role in keeping BC’s economy diverse, strong and growing.

Vernon City Council voted to endorse Option 2 of the draft

SEE NEWS UPDATE | PAGE 3

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KELOWNA

APRIL 2016

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KELOWNA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE HIGHLIGHTS THE BUSINESS CASE FOR SUPPORTING AFFORDABLE HOUSING New housing must be addressed by developers and by municipal governments, among others

KELOWNA CAROLINE GROVER

O

n March 8, the Kelowna Chamber partnered with the Urban Development Institute in Kelowna to host a discussion on ending homelessness and supporting affordable housing. The Chamber sees its role as working with experts in housing and social services to support an end to homelessness.

T here are business reasons for being interested in affordable housing. At our discussion in March, data from 2011 was presented by the BC Non-Profit Housing Association that summarized the rental market, the cost of housing, and home ownership. These costs are more than most people can afford. Additionally, current housing stock is aging, and new builds aren’t keeping pace with the demographic

NEWS UPDATE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2

“If we want a strong and vibrant economic future, then it is key that strong and vibrant women help drive it,” Premier Christy Clark said. “A great opportunity for women to help drive the economy is through careers in the skilled trades. A nd the Women in Trades Traini ng i n itiative w i l l help give women the support and training they need to succeed.”

T h ro u g h t h e Wom e n i n T rades T ra i n i ng Initiative, the I ndustry Training Authority has contracted Camosun College, Okanagan College, T hompson R ivers University and Tradeworks Training Society to del iver prog ra ms speci fica l ly desig ned to help women kick-start their trades career. These prog ra m s prov ide women with introductory trades training, technical training, an overview of various trade occupations, as well as job-placement support.

These four WITT programs are currently open to applications and will benefit up to 234 female pa r t icipa nts when t he

trends.

Housing accounts for 23 per cent of BC GDP. If we grow housing, we grow the economy. We recognize that rental housing is critical: it is certainly central for labour mobility and immigration. The magic figure of 30 per cent of income is what people should be spending out of their income, on their housing needs. More than this straps households, and the necessities of food, clothing and transportation fall by the wayside.

The reality of the labour market is that some people make lower wages than others, yet are critical to our labour pool. These workers and community residents need affordable housing, and need it in order to work, to continue to contribute to the economy, and to avoid the risk of becoming homeless.

New housing must be addressed by developers and by municipal governments, among others.

Pathways include unlocking land

t ra i n i n g c o n c lu d e s i n September 2016.

Funding for the Women i n T rades T ra i n i ng Initiative is provided t h r o u g h t h e C a n a d aBr it ish Colu mbia Job Fund Agreement under the Employment Services and Supports (ESS) strea m. T h roug h the Ca n a d a Job F u n d , t h e Government of Canada p ro v i d e s B r i t i s h C olu m b i a w i t h a to t a l o f $65 m illion per yea r to del iver ta rgeted tra i ning programs. T he ESS stream is designed to assist British Columbians who are facing barriers in the labour market to develop essent i a l jobreadiness skills.

T h e re a re a p p rox imately 4,200 registered women apprentices in the province across 72 different trades.

T he percentage of women who a re reg i stered apprentices in BC is at 10.4 per cent, up from 8.5 per cent in 2009.

BC will have nearly one million job openings by 2024, due to retirements a n d e c on o m i c g row t h with almost eight out of 10 of these job openings requiring post-secondary education or trades training.

– with a look at federal, provincial and municipal policies, and removing barriers to change; design and innovation in mixed use or modular construction; operations and maintenance to keep running costs affordable; and finally financing needs to be barrier-free.

These requirements and needs intersect with the business plans and practices of many of our members. We want these members all to be aware and working on solutions that will enhance their own success.

Homelessness costs the Canadian economy $8 billion annually.

Is homelessness solvable? Yes. For instance, during the 2003 fires in Kelowna, a system was mobilized that incorporated strong local leadership, emergency response, multiple system coordination, and housing that was focused on community mobilization. The same type of plan could be designed to end homelessness, and help deal with the overall problem.

At the same time, creating such a plan will assist municipal and provincial planners to assist in ensuring that the people working in the Kelowna job market are able to better manage their income, and their housing finance outlays, especially at critical points in their work lives.

KAMLOOPS Sun Peaks to partner with world’s largest ski tour operator A s Sun Peaks secu res its place as one of the top two resorts in Canada, it is now made more accessible by its new partnership with the world’s largest ski tour operator, Crystal Ski Holidays.

Owned by the TUI Group, the world’s largest leisure, travel and tourism company, UK based Crystal Ski carries in excess of 170,000 skiers and snowboarders each season, visiting around 130 resorts from the European Alps to Scandinavia and North America to Japan. Crystal’s unwavering commitment to providing unique, world-class experiences for their guests was an important consideration for Sun Peaks’ to enter in partnership for the multi-year deal.

Sun Peaks is the only new Canadian resort being selected for their 2016/17 program. The recent terrain developments and award-winning ski-in/skiout village are just two of SEE NEWS UPDATE | PAGE 10

There is another side to homelessness that has implications for business: the expenditure of tax dollars to band-aid solve a chronic problem. The cost of social services, of mental health interventions, in some cases prison, of emergency rooms, hospital stays, and other physical and mental rehabilitation programs – not to mention short-term housing care – definitely adds up. These are social tax dollars that our businesses pay out as part of doing business in Kelowna.

By shifting our focus to prevention and solutions, we build a better community, re-direct tax dollars to more effective programs that have true long-term resonance in the community, and overall, improve the business and residential environment.

This shift in focus from crisis to solution can only build a stronger work setting. Numerous ongoing initiatives are already in place, and with a concerted effort at coordination, these initiatives will continue the good work already underway in Kelowna to address the problem.

Councillor Luke Stack says that with funding secured by previous Mayors and Councils, four social housing projects — the Cardington Apartments on St. Paul Street downtown, Willowbridge,

operated by the Canadian Mental Health Association, the NOW apartment building in South Pandosy and Rutland’s Newgate Apartments run by the John Howard Society — all became part of the City’s social housing fabric.

Provincially, former Premier Gordon Campbell ca l led for mayors to address the ongoing problem of homelessness, and “get serious”. Kelowna’s mayors Gray, Shepherd and Basran all have played their parts in doing this. There is also a Kelowna Housing Opportunities Fund that encourages new affordable housing. This program should be ongoing, and function hand in hand with developers.

In closing, affordable housing can help Kelowna remain a hub for all types of businesses, both wellestablished and start-up; can help workers in the service industry find stability on lower incomes; and can overall help businesspeople manage their staffs, their HR needs, and their community contributions toward fixing this systemic need.

Caroline Grover is the CEO of the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce.

She can be reached by email at caroline@kelownachamber.org

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VERNON

APRIL 2016

VERNON’S 32ND ANNUAL CHAMBER BUSINESS EXCELLENCE AWARDS BIGGEST TO DATE

VERNON DAN ROGERS

T

he best of Greater Vernon’s business and community leadership was celebrated at the 2016 Business Excellence Awards on Friday March 11th.

Presented by Valley First Credit Union, this year’s event drew a record crowd of close to 350 to recognize the top businesses and organizations in fourteen different categories including the Business of the Year which went to Nolan’s Pharmasave. The family owned business has been in operation since 1927. Nolan’s also won the Customer Service Award.

“Each of our award winners represent dynamic organizations who have given back to the community in many ways,” says Tracy Cobb Reeves, Greater Vernon Chamber of Commerce

president. “We congratulate them and also acknowledge the many more who were nominated.”

Olive Us Olive Oil and Vinegar Tasting Room also picked up two awards, winning the Small Business of the Year Award and the Tourism Excellence Award. The latter award was in recognition of their dedication to promoting all that Vernon and area has to offer to the many tourists that drop by their store.

Barrita Durward of Cotton’s Chocolates was named Business Person of the Year while the Community Leader Award went to Deb White of White House Mortgages.

The inaugural People’s Choice Award was won by Rollin’ Spring Rolls. It was the only award to be determined through online voting. All other awards were selected by an independent panel of judges.

Other companies being recognized included VantageOne Credit Union which won Employer of the Year. The Green Business of the Year went to Interior Freight & Bottle Depot. The Manufacturer of the Year was Universal Packaging.

Nicholas Alexander Landscaping & Design was named the New Business of the Year while Watkin Motors which celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2015, was tabbed as Newsmaker of the Year.

The Non-Profit of the Year was Upper Room Mission and Benita Poggemoeller of B Frank Marketing was named the Young Entrepreneur of the Year.

Many of the organizations and individuals that were recognized have contributed greatly to the well being of the community for many years and the evening provided an opportunity for the Chamber and the entire community to celebrate

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that dedication and commitment.

A highlight of the evening were the videos that were produced to showcase all the finalists. The videos are available for viewing through the Greater Vernon Chamber’s website at www.vernonchamber.ca ••• The Chamber is pleased with the steps being taken by the City of Vernon to encourage development and with word the City wishes to meet to further explore ways to make housing more attainable in the city and region.

A committee of the Chamber of Commerce representing the residential construction and development sector made a presentation to city council last month, questioning processing times, development fees, and the lack of available land that is driving up the cost of housing for the average family.

Chamber president Tracy CobbReeves says the city has agreed to meet and look at the issues and find solutions.

“We’re really pleased with the level of due diligence that they did in addressing the presentation that was made by Big Red (The Chamber business improvement group – real estate and development). We’re really pleased they are addressing all the points, and with the outcome to hold the meeting.”

The Chamber applauded recent improvements that expedite

development applications which have made the City more attractive for investment but the Chamber continues to believe more can be done. The Chamber continues to encourage all local governments in the area to look for ways to improve their regulatory processes with the aim of becoming more competitive in attracting young families to the area.

••• In other news, the North Okanagan was buzzing with word that Lumby was selected among the top two in the 2016 Kraft Hockeyville Contest. Voting on the eventual winner wrapped up on March 21st and no matter the final result, Lumby is celebrating the fact that they will be receiving significant funds ($100,000) to upgrade their hockey arena which of course will create some economic activity in the small community just east of Vernon. As the only BC community in the top ten, Lumby was pulling out all the stops to get all of BC behind them in their final push.

••• Finally, we want to welcome the newest members of the Greater Vernon Chamber Graycon Group and Allegria Homes Inc. Dan Rogers is the General Manager at the Greater Vernon Chamber of Commerce and can be reached at manager@vernonchamber.ca

City receives financial award for sixth year in a row

V

ERNON – The G ove r n m e nt F inance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) announced that the Canadian Award for Financial Reporting has been awarded to City of Vernon for its annual financial report. Additionally, the Canadian Award for Financial Reporting Ach ievement h a s been awarded to Kevin Bertles, Director of Financial Serv ices as the i nd iv idua l designated as primarily responsible for preparing the report. This is the sixth year in a row that the City of Vernon has received this recognition.

T he Ca n ad i a n Awa rd for Financial Reporting program was established to encourage municipal govern ments th roughout Ca n ad a to publ i sh h i g h q u a l it y f i n a nci a l repor ts a nd to prov ide peer recog n ition a nd tech n ica l g u ida nce for officials preparing these reports. Its attainment represents a significant

accomplishment by a go v e r n m e n t a n d i t s management.

“One of the key responsibilities of our Council is ensuring fiscal responsibility and transparency, which are essential to delivering efficient, effective and proactive services to ou r ta x payers,” said Mayor Akbal Mund. “We on Council, as well as the management and staff of the City of Vernon, are proud of Mr. Bertles and his staff for achieving this sta nda rd of excel lence six years in a row. It is a demonstration to Vernon citizens of the high standards we on Council have set and will continue to set for this organization and administration. ”The City of Vernon annual financial report was judged by impartial Canadian Review Committee members to meet the high standards of the program, including demonstrating a constructive “spirit of full disclosure” designed t o c l e a r l y c o m m u n icate the municipality’s

f i n a nci a l s tor y a nd to motivate potential users and user groups to read the report.“It is our goal to c on s i s te nt ly d e l iver f isca l ly tra nspa rent docu ments a nd convey f i n a nc i a l i n for m at ion that supports the solid framework upon which o u r b u d ge t i s b a s e d ,” said Bertles. “We use the fe e d ba ck f rom t he review program and other professional sources to prepare the next annual repor t, a nd we st rive ever y ye a r to i mprove upon our reports and our p ra c t i c e s . We a re e xtremely pleased with the collaborative effort that our team has put into the continual development of our annual report since we have been a participant in this program and since our first award six years ago.

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APRIL 2016

CRAFT BREWING Craft Beer Complements Okanagan Wine Tourism Consumers appreciate that craft beer has a small environmental foot print

B

C’s craft breweries will soon be tu rn i ng on the taps in preparation for the Okanagan’s Fest of Ale. Fifty craft brewers and more than 5000 brew enthusiasts are projected to attend the 21st celebration of craft beer and cider.

T he two-day event held on April 7-9 is one of the oldest and largest beer festivals in the Pacific Northwest and will feature a host of activities, from beer and cider tasting workshops, to great entertainment, food vendors and food pairings.

Organizers said that this year there will be a record number of brewers participating.

“Over the last three years the number of craft brewers participating at the festival has nearly doubled, as has the number of samples available for testing,” said Fest of A le Society vice president and marketing director, John Devitt.

Ken Beattie, executive director of the BC Craft Beer Guild said this festival is important because of its longevity and its promotion of local BC craft beer and cider in a region known to the world for its wine. “ It c elebrate s t he d iversity of local products produced throughout BC while donating over a half a million dollars since 1996, to local charities.”

He added that one of the u n ique h ig h l ig hts f rom t he festival is the “People’s choice awa rd s” for best beer, best booth, best food and best band.

Joe Wiebe, author of Craft Beer Revolution: The Insider’s Guide to B.C. Breweries and a presenter at the Fest, said that the popularity of craft beer is what’s generating interest in festivals.

Craft brewing in BC has seen a meteoric rise since its formal debut at Horseshoe Bay’s Troller Pub in 1982. Its growth, initially fueled by the eight-and-a-halfmonth beer strike of 1979, has seen a steady increase with an explosion of almost 50 new craft breweries opening their doors in the past two years.

It began out of necessity, with John Mitchell, owner of Troller’s, looking to get away from just American style lager because of the strike and offering more tap choices.

After reading an article in HarDon’t miss out rowsmith on thismagazine, unique titled ‘The Underground Brewmaster’ writadvertising ten by Frank Appleton, Mitchopportunity! ell tracked down the author,

Fest of Ale celebrates its 21st year CREDIT:FEST OF ALE

“Breweries don’t have to re-invent the wheel or trail blaze as the wine culture has already attracted tourists to the area.”

KEN BEATTIE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR BC CRAFT BEER GUILD

seeking his help in setting up the first microbrewery in Canada.

It was a successful partnership after which Appleton began a career consulting throughout Washington, Oregon and BC, helping in the creation of many other craft beer breweries.

Today, the craft beer industry makes up over 20 per cent of all beer sales in BC with a conservative projection of 25 per cent by 2020. Beattie said that the figures work out to almost $200 million in sales annually.

Beattie said that freshness plays a large role in craft beer’s popularity.

“It’s made in small batches so doesn’t need pasteurization or chemical preservatives to

extend its shelf or warehouse life.”

Stu Bradford, owner of Shuswap Lake Brewery and the Barley Station Brewpub in Salmon Arm said that education is key.

“Consumers want to know how the beer is made and where it comes from. At our brewpub, they appreciate that it travels 50 feet from the basement to tap to table.”

He added that using local ingredients is what consumers are looking for and he is constantly sourcing suppliers and producers for the best quality products. There are even local farmers looking to produce the SEE CRAFT BEER | PAGE 7

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APRIL 2016

HOYNE BREWERY: LEADER IN THE CRAFT BEER MOVEMENT “We’re almost to the point where the sales of craft beer products exceed those of major breweries.”

Across North America craft beer market growing exponentially

V

ICTORIA – While a tradition that goes back centuries in Britain and in Europe, the craft beer making industry in North America has roots that go back only a few short decades. But despite its relative youth, this specialized segment of the brewing industry has flourished and expanded well beyond the wildest imaginings of its pioneering champions.

“In North America last year craft beer sold 11.8 per cent of the total beer volume. We’re expecting to hit 18 per cent this year.

It’s growing exponentially right now,” explained Sean Hoyne, owner and Brewmaster of Victoria’s Hoyne Brewing Company.

“I think the craft beer industry is approaching a tipping point meaning we’re almost to the point where the sales of craft beer products exceed those of major breweries. I think we’re almost there. I honestly believe that we’ll be hitting those numbers in the next few years.”

Hoyne is a true pioneer in this wildly expanding segment of the market, launching his career

SEAN HOYNE BREWMASTER, HOYNE BREWING

Sean Hoyne began his beer making career in 1989, helping to set up one of Victoria’s first craft breweries immediately upon graduating university in the late 1980s. Working under one of the founders of the North American micro brew movement, Frank Appleton, he helped to set up one of the city’s first craft breweries in 1989 in Victoria’s Swans Hotel. “Since then I’ve seen the industry come from its infancy through to where it is now. I could never have even imagined how far the craft brewing industry would come in this time,” he said.

“Back in the day Frank and I would only dream about the time when craft beer would be widely accepted by the public. For many years it wasn’t. We were sort of out there on the fringes. Now it’s not merely widely accepted, today we’re growing by leaps and bounds.”

Learning his craft under Appleton’s tutelage Hoyne went on to

found a brewery at Canoe Brewpub in 1998, before opening the Hoyne Brewing Company in 2011. “Over the years as I honed my craft I always had a desire to open my own brewery. Four years ago I had the opportunity to do so which is when I opened Hoyne Brewing,” he said.

“In essence I learned my craft from the founder of the entire craft beer industry in BC. I’ve always held a special place in my heart for Frank, so to honour him we’ve come up with a new beer called Appleton Extra Special Bitter, a line that could be added to our core group of brands.”

As a craft beer brewery Hoyne Brewing has the flexibility of experimenting and showcasing unique offerings throughout the year. “We offer a lineup of core brands and then we add to that a

Today Hoyne Brewery produces a number of core brands as well as seasonal short runs beers number of seasonal beers,” he said.

“Amongst our core brands perhaps the two that are most well known are our Dark Matter and our Pilsner. They’re essentially our flagship beers. Throughout the year we’ll do what we call oneoffs where we only produce one batch of something such as our winter beer called Gratitude.”

Today Hoyne Brewing has a staff of 22 and operates out of facilities at 101-2740 Bridge Street in Victoria.

The company has grown far beyond its micro brew origins. “About a year ago now we installed a brand

new brew house which represents a tripling of our capacity. We’re in the process right now of bringing in seven new fermentation and bright beer tanks,” Hoyne explained.

“In terms of hectoliters (hl) the amount of beer that we make in any given batch is about 35 hl or 3,500 liters per batch. We’re probably going to be reaching the 15,000 hl mark this year (1.5 million liters).”

Typically producing two brews per day the company’s product is bottled or put into kegs for distribution to pubs and restaurants.

“We distribute our product pretty much through all the normal avenues for selling beer. We’re sold predominantly here in Victoria but we do ship our beer up Island and over to the Lower Mainland.

The vast majority of our beer is sold right here on the Island, probably about 75 per cent.”

For Hoyne the future of the North American craft beer industry is bright, with plenty of room for additional growth. “The craft beer industry has experienced great growth and there are lots of new breweries jumping on the bandwagon. The bottom line is if they adhere to the learning curve and if they have a love of the craft of beer making and they know the science then they will be able to make consistently high quality beer.”

To learn more visit the comp a n y ’ s w e b s i t e a t : w w w. hoynebrewing.ca/

CRAFT BREWING

APRIL 2016

Ken Beattie said that craft beer brings in $200 million annually

Kathy and Stu opened the Barley Station Brewpub nine years ago CREDIT:WWW.BARLEYSTATION.COM

CRAFT BEER CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

right kind of hops for marketing to the brewpubs.

Wiebe added that the beer connoisseur of today is looking for quality over quantity with the focus on the best ingredients, lower carbon footprint and innovation in recipes and flavours.

“They aren’t ordering a pint or pitcher of one kind of beer anymore. Instead, they’re getting a

sampler tray with three or four d i fferent ty pes of brew. It’s changing the dynamic and the demographic of the industry.”

Both Wiebe and Beattie said that consumer awareness has increased the number of young women looking to tap into the craft beer scene.

“It isn’t just young men anymore; we see groups of mid 2030 year-old women enjoying sampler trays or a favourite craft beer,” said Wiebe. “And there isn’t a guy in sight.”

MANUFACTURER A PIONEER IN THE MICRO BREW INDUSTRY Specific Mechanical: Serving the craft brewing industry for 30 years

“We have a global reach from our facility in Victoria.”

REO PHILLIPS GENERAL MANAGER

V

ICTORIA – You can’t paint a masterpiece without brushes and you can’t brew a quality beer or wine without the proper equipment. Victoria’s Specific Mechanical Systems Ltd., has been the secret behind the North American craft beer and wine revolution for 30 plus years. “We design and fabricate equipment used in craft breweries, distilleries and wineries.

We also fabricate equipment for cideries and food and juice processing. We’re more than just a custom metal fabricator, with a full house of engineers and project managers experienced in serving this very specific niche,” explained company General Manager Reo Phillips.

Since launching in 1986 the company has fabricated more than 1,000 brewing and winery systems as well as thousands of stainless steel and copper vessels for clients across North America and beyond.

“This year marks our 30th anniversary. We were one of the very first of our kind in North America

and today are one of the most recognized on the continent. We have a global reach from our facility in Victoria,” Phillips said.

Specific Mechanical has a staff of 120 and operates from its original 45,000 square foot shop in Victoria. The company manufactures a dizzying array of tanks, fermentation vessels and turnkey systems. “We’ve provided quality equipment throughout BC, in all regions and every industry. We’re proud of the impact BC producers have had on the global craft movement and feel privileged to be associated with these leaders.”

A leader in the craft market, Specific Mechanical is now a pioneer in the micro distillery movement. “Craft distilling is a natural fit for the craft brewing and winery industries. A small brewery or winery can enter the distilling market to make runs of gin, vodka, brandy or even whiskey from its existing products, with distribution under a BC Craft Distilling license. We see this as a growing part of BC’s craft industry.”

Beattie said the Okanagan has a head start for growing the beer culture because of the existing wine industry.

“Brewery’s don’t have to reinvent the wheel or trail blaze as the wine culture has already attracted tourists to the area.

Now visitors can enjoy more variety with craft beer, cider and distilleries.”

He added that, the industry has come full circle with many craft breweries getting back to their roots by combining beer

7

Joe Wiebe believes BC is experiencing a craft beer revolution

CREDIT:KEN BEATTIE

CREDIT:CRISTINE TISDALE

with food.

“Beer pairs well with fatty foods because of its high carbonation which cleanses the palate. And depending on the amount of roasted malts used in the beer, it can bring a complimentary or contrasting flavour to food.”

Wiebe said that current craft beer production preserves the founding roots while still allowing for fresh and inventive new methods. For example, the trendy Indian Pale Ale (IPA) bitter beer is giving way to more subtle and sophisticated lagers with a less hoppy flavour as well as Belgian ales with spicy and fruity flavours. And he added that an interest in sour beer,

aged in wood barrels, is also gaining in popularity.

In the Okanagan the industry is growing with three new breweries planned for Kelowna, one in Vernon and Penticton, the hotbed of craft brewing, four more facilities will be opening.

Bradford said that the Okanagan has a strong food tourism industry that complements the beer and wine culture offering diverse and innovative style to the savvy food connoisseur.

U lt i m ately however, even though the industry has seen dramatic growth, the sense of community and its desire to produce the h ighest qua l ity product will serve those looking for the perfect pint of beer.

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8

APRIL 2016

CUSTOMIZATION KEY TO MODULAR HOME BUILDER’S SUCCESS SPOTLIGHT

Chaparral Industries has operated in Kelowna for more than 40 years

“There are advantages to modular homes that conventional stick built homes wouldn’t have.”

JOHN PUSHOR

K

CHAPARRAL INDUSTRIES

ELOWNA – For John Pushor the Director of Business Development for modular home manufacturer Chaparral Industries, his company’s size allows it to quickly adapt to the changing needs of its expanding client base. “In terms of our industry Chaparral would be on the smaller side, we’re not one of the bigger guys,” he explained.

“But we see that as an advantage and we think our customers do so as well, as we have the capability of being more flexible in terms of our ability to provide custom projects. One of the key points is that we are small enough to provide a very personalized service and we’re able to react to market conditions quite quickly.”

Since its inception more than 40 years ago Chaparral Industries has always viewed itself as a custom home builder. While other manufacturers of modular homes might offer a limited number of different models for its clients, each Chaparral project can be custom tailored to match the tastes and specific needs of the customer. “The real advantage of customization is the ability to provide the customer with exactly the home or project they want. If a client has a specific request such as barrier free options or a small yoga studio, we can accommodate them,” he said.

While Chaparral Industries has operated since the 1970’s the Pushor family took over the company in 2006, and are currently celebrating their tenth anniversary of ownership. In addition to John Pushor, father Rick Pushor is a company Director while brother Jim Pushor holds the position of General Manager. Operating out of a 40,000 square foot manufacturing facility located at 3075 Sexsm ith Road i n Kelow na, Chaparral Industries produces

Jim Pushor (left) and John Pushor busily reviewing building plans on the company’s expansive shop floor a range of modular buildings for both the residential and the commercial / industrial markets.

“Since 2006 we’ve been doing a combination of residential, commercial and industrial projects.

One of the niches Chaparral has in the manufacturing industry is that we’re a true custom builder.

Often you’ll see builders in the industry will have models A, B or C and typically they won’t stray too far from their main selections. In sharp contrast we provide custom projects just about every time.

Typically we don’t build the same home twice.”

Servicing commercial and industrial markets across Western Canada has become a key segment of the company’s output.

Chaparral has become very involved in producing prefabricated structures of all sorts, primarily for the mining and the oil and gas industries. Completed projects could include such structures as offices, remote camp facilities, bunkhouses, recreational facilities and many other types of buildings. “We saw opportunity

Office Manager Kathy Colpitts and John Pushor taking part in a “Morning Huddle” on the shop floor in servicing those markets and took advantage of them,” Pushor said.

“Often projects come to us in the form of a customer request.

A company could quite literally call us up out of the blue and say we need a bunkhouse or office or some other type of modular building. Some of our bigger and

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longer-term commercial and industrial clients are leasing companies and therefore those leasing companies are the ones who will deal directly with the end-user,” he explained.

“The leasing companies are typically not manufacturers, so we have helped develop and maintain those relationships over

the years, and our relationships with them are a very important part of our business.”

The ratio between the number of commercial and residential projects completed can change from year to year. With the present low price of oil and with the Alberta oil patch going through a difficult time the number of projects underway for that sector is lower than it has been in the past. But due to Chaparral’s agile size and its ability to quickly react to market conditions the company has been able to successfully shift its focus more toward the residential side of its market.

In contrast to the commercial segment where Chaparral typically acts in more of a manufacture-only capacity, on the residential side the company offers a complete turnkey service where it will design, manufacture, deliver and ultimately set up the project.

“Chaparral is first and foremost a manufacturer, but we also act as developers in certain cases and have been involved in many developments in the past. Chaparral

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APRIL 2016

John Pushor (center) and production staff members Lloyd Hinrichson and Bruce Kenzie (above) in the roof department

One of the advantages Chaparral Industries enjoys is being able to construct their homes within a controlled environment also works closely with developers and has often been the exclusive builder in developments across BC. Moving forward, Chaparral’s vision is to create and develop more and more modular communities. By far the bulk of our work has taken place in the Interior but we have projects elsewhere including Northern BC and on Vancouver Island.

A not her of t he compa ny’s principle strengths is its ability to provide complete in-house design services for its clients.

Working with the end users the design team can develop the best solutions to fulfill the client’s needs. If the customer requires a specific finish, or a certain look for the home the team will ensure a satisfied outcome. When working on a larger scale residential development adhering

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to specific architectural design themes might be required. Having in-house designers ensures that each home, while unique in its own way, will maintain the thematic continuity of its immediate neighborhood.

Chaparral Industries has a production department that numbers between 15 to 30 employees depending on the workload and has a front office and design team of about 10. Pushor credits much of the company’s success to the skills and dedication of its team of workers.

“We view our company as more of a family than a traditional manufacturer might. It’s definitely a group effort here, no one person makes it happen. We’re not a big company but we have a really strong staff who all work together to provide the utmost

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Having a team of designers in-house allows Chaparral Industries custom their projects to meet specific needs

Once the designing is complete it all comes down to the first cuts being made, with the result being a new Chaparral home of value to our customer. Just the fact that Chaparral has been around for as long as it has is a testament to that,” he said.

“Another sign that we are on the right track is the fact that we have some employees who have been with us for a very long time.

Some of our production staff have been here 25 years, and we have very little turnover. We work hard to create and maintain a positive, safe, and progressive workplace and our success can be seen in the retention of our staff. We take a lot of pride in our business, and we encourage that sense of pride with everyone in our organization.

C h a p a r ra l s p e n t m u c h o f 2015 going through a complete

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rebranding exercise, and in January of 2016 the company launched its new website (www.chaparralbuilt.com). “That was a huge initiative for Chaparral, and we are very excited to have a new brand and website. We are proud of the Chaparral story and our products and we feel our rebranding and website reflect that,” he said.

“We are also excited about our new tagline: ‘Life inspired. Built modular’. We feel it’s a good reflection of how our products are inspired by life, and the lives of our clients, and that we are celebrating those inspirations from a modular perspective. We are proud to be what we are and what we can build,” he said.

“We felt the time was right to step up our online presence, including telling our story through social media. We’ve always been seen as a fairly progressive company so our goal has been to take that up a notch and become even more innovative. Especially in terms of green design, energy efficiency and high-performance homes for example.”

Despite decades of producing quality products, and hundreds of satisfied customers across Western Canada, the need to enhance its communications efforts was thought necessary to help remove any lingering stigma or misunderstanding about what a modular home actually is.

“Unfortunately there still remains quite a bit of stigma around modular homes. They are not trailers they are homes in every

sense of the word. We feel that in order to move our industry forward we need to make efforts to help correct the public perception of manufactured housing.

We want to help people realize that modular homes are just like any other home, in fact we could argue that there are advantages to modular homes that conventional stick built homes wouldn’t have, including a systems-based approach to building with constant checks and quality control, as well as a high speed of manufacturing.”

For the Pushor family and their extended Chaparral Industries family, the future for their industry and for their specific product is very bright. “The fact that we’ve been able to streamline our processes and can build our homes indoors in a controlled environment guarantees a far more consistent quality of product. The modular design and build process opens up all sorts of doors to a variety of different projects,” he said.

“While our business has been focused on the Western Canadian market we’re always looking for opportunities wherever they might be. There are opportunities for modular housing all over the world especially with such applications as emergency housing and housing for the homeless. Social housing is a growing concern and modular construction can often provide the right solutions.”

From an aging population in need of affordable and flexible seniors housing, to industrial applications across the continent, to the development of quality holiday cabins and remote hideaways, modular homes are the ideal answer and Chaparral Industries is ready to embrace the coming demand.

“There is so much opportunity out there and we feel that the future is very positive. As we see a greater demand for affordable and diverse housing needs appearing across the country modular becomes more and more advantageous for buyers.”

Customers are encouraged to visit the Chaparral’s newest Display Home located at its Sexsmith Road location. www.chaparralbuilt.com.

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10

SUMMERLAND/OFF THE COVER

APRIL 2016

SUMMERLAND CHAMBER DIRECTION FOR 2016

SUMMERLAND CHRISTINE PETKAU

O

n March 15th, members of the Summerland Chamber of Commerce met for the Annual General Meeting and the first Tourism Showcase at the Summerland Waterfront Resort.

Elected by acclamation for 2-year terms on the Board are: Marion Christian of Sumac Ridge Estate Winery, Julian Scholefield of Okanagan Crush Pad and Colin Powell of IGA Summerland. Board members with one year remaining on their current terms are Robert Hacking of Bad Robot Computers and Electronics, Michael Hughes of Ripley Stainless, Erick Thompson of ET2media and Kelsey Van Alphen of Alder Street Auto Body.

The 2016 Executive team is: President – Erick Thompson, Vice President – Robert Hacking and Treasurer – Michael Hughes.

TEC CANADA CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Professionals that commit time from their busy schedules to inspire their next good idea will eventually take personal and professional positive next-steps.

Focusing on improving the process will deliver ‘wins’ over the long-term.

“During our TEC sessions we have a very narrow challenge for business leaders; “How do you influence or shift the mindset of your culture?” Many companies are concerned about the increased pace of global change and how to get their organization to respond accordingly. The Thinking Tendencies Model identifies the five mindsets that cultures can transition towards to help navigate these volatile times.

Part of leadership is awareness, and by implementing this new form of awareness, TEC executives are better able to influence their personal and cultural mindset.”

Culture shift has been a prevalent topic with TEC in recent history. The often overlooked, yet critical component of any business’s long-term success, has become a focal point for organizations of all sizes, from Facebook to small town ‘mom and pop’ operations.

“In the old days business leaders had a tendency to downplay the importance of culture,” says Walters. “I grew up hearing “Just

The Chamber’s 2016 Business Plan was presented to members at the AGM by Executive Director, Christine Petkau, who reviewed the three areas where the Chamber is active: Member Services, Business Retention, Expansion and Attraction and Tourism.

Within the area of Member Services, the Chamber provides business advocacy on behalf of its membership and offers educational opportunities. Members promotional benefits include the Annual Awards Gala, the

work harder!” Now leaders are recognizing that without positive cultural energy, developing resilient, high performing teams is nearly impossible.

“Another great coach, Phil Jackson, was asked how he coached so many championship teams, he replied; “I pay attention.” The question is do we pay attention to the results our people are not delivering, or do we pay attention to helping our people adjust ‘their game’ to increase better results?”

The presentation that Walters has been recognized for received an average score of 4.61 out of 5 rating from TEC members. They noted that his engaging speaking style, enthusiasm and extensive experience contributed to a worthwhile time investment.

H is emphasis on actionable strategies, as opposed to theoretical concepts, allow audience members to apply what they’ve learned in their own businesses immediately.

“Our speakers are an integral part of the cutting-edge thought leadership that we provide to our members,” states Ken MacLeod, TEC Canada President and CEO. “In today’s dynamic and competitive marketplace, it’s important that we honour and congratulate influential thought leaders like Ryan, who stimulate the personal and professional growth that our community of business leaders seek.” www.tec-canada.com www.ryanwalter.com

Summerland Phone Directory, Business after Business events, monthly newsletters and articles in various publications. In 2015 the new Chamber website was completed with a fresh design and improved functionality and member business directory. The Chamber also hosted a number of sector specific meetings to determine key issues for members. In 2016 the Chamber will host social media training for members and deliver succession planning workshops.

In the area of Business Retention, Expansion and Attraction the Chamber coordinates sector networking, the development of key partnerships and the promotion of Summerland as a place to do business. In 2015 the Chamber partnered with the District of Summerland to conduct business walks to engage members.

These were very well received and will be held in spring and fall in 2016. As well, a video/ social media campaign is being launched next week to encourage

Summerland residents to shop locally. The campaign is called #discoverhome and will run through September of this year.

Within the area of Tourism, the Chamber operates the visitor centre, welcoming more than 12,000 guests at the Highway 97 location and an additional 5,000 at local markets. Along with coordinating the photography and writing the copy for the annual visitor guide, and promoting the community as a tourism destination, the Chamber also organizes Summerland’s Festival of Lights.

In 2015 special projects included participating in the creation of regional bike path guides and the production of the Summerland Showcase quarterly tourism bulletin – a digital resource distributed electronically to more than 12,000 addresses throughout BC and Alberta. In 2016 the Chamber is partnering with Penticton and Naramata to create and promote a regional bike festival called ‘Chain of Events’ that will be taking place through May and early June.

Christine Petkau is Executive Director at the Summerland Chamber of Commerce. She can be reached at cpetkau@ summerlandchamber.com.

NEWS UPDATE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3

Ryan and Jenn Walter

the factors that set the 4-season resort apart from its competitors. The expanded winter activity roster, family-friendly ski programs as well as the new and improved learning area also make Sun Peaks an attractive destination for its growing number of UK visitors.

Crystal’s Purchasing Director Gordon Ritter commented, “Featuring Sun Peaks is long overdue, after all we are talking about Canada’s second largest ski area with a great snow record and terrain to suit all abilities. Access is easy, a one stop flight from London via Kamloops and a 45 minute transfer. And while you’re there don’t forget to join Olympian Nancy Greene on a tour of the ski area.”

Darcy Alexander, General Manager at Sun Peaks Resort also expressed his excitement for the new agreement, “This new and exciting partnership with Crystal Ski is a significant development for Sun Peaks Resort. From an awareness and visitation standpoint, this relationship gives us great exposure in a valuable and important international market.”

With a reputation for substantial amounts of light, powdery snow due to its geographic location, the resort is sure to appeal to Crystal customers looking to discover what the interior of beautiful British Columbia has to offer.

11

APRIL 2016

Accent Inns and Hotel Zed Bring Funky, Colourful, “Caring Canadian” Style to Okanagan Hotel Founder Terry Farmer Honoured By Governor General As Hotel Zed’s Kelowna Location’s Construction Progresses

Accent Inn/Hotel Zed founder Terry Farmer (left) receiving the Caring Canadian Award from His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada.

K

E L O W N A— 2 0 1 6 h a s been a ba n ner yea r for the people of Accent Inns and sister property Hotel Zed. In March, the BC-based hotel chain’s founder Terry Farmer received the prestigious Governor General’s Caring Canadian Awa rd for h i s c om mu n it ybuilding work in Victoria. And throughout the spring progress has stepped up on the construction of Hotel Zed’s Kelow na location, adding eye-catching colours to the city’s downtown.

His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, awarded Farmer the Governor General’s Caring Canadian Award in Vancouver on March 4, 2016. The honour recognizes Farmer’s work

“Something that was once an idea has blossomed beyond what we could have ever hoped for.”

JOHN ESPLEY ACCENT INNS/HOTEL ZED

as director of the Pacifica Housing Advisory Association, an organization that houses low-income families, at-risk adults, and individuals with special needs.

Farmer has long been known as a powerful behind-the-scenes fundraiser, networker, and community-builder in Victoria. The city bears Farmer’s fingerprints

Accent Inn/Hotel Zed President and CEO Mandy Farmer posing beside the “Zed Sled”, the hotel’s funky VW Van shuttle. in a number of ways, of which the upgrade of the 75-year-old YMCA Sports Centre is but one.

Since 2008, Farmer’s daughter Mandy Farmer has been sitting at the helm of Accent Inns/Hotel Zed as its president and CEO. By all evidence, she is carrying on the family tradition of community building and business with a twist. For example, Accent Inns created the first funky Hotel Zed under her leadership.

John Espley, Director of Marketing and Communications for Accent Inns/Hotel Zed, has

The Accent Inn shuttle bus advertises the hotel’s bike-friendly attitude with characteristic playfulness

worked with the Farmers for nearly 28 years. Reflecting on the culture of his tight-knit team, he says, “Mandy is definitely proud of the legacy that her father started. Our long-term employees and customers have a real history of supporting communities.”

Espley, whose email signature features a playfully crossed-out “Director of Marketing & Communications” and the orangecoloured title “Mountain Man”, appreciates the “fun, relaxed style” of his company. He cites their advertising, signage around their properties, and most importantly, the laid-back, cheerful manner of their staff as evidence of that style.

That style is beginning to make waves in Kelowna, where the new Hotel Zed location is adding its signature funky colours to the downtown area. The first Hotel Zed was built across from a suburban Victoria shopping mall in 2013, and its delightfully retro character has been stopping people in their tracks ever since. Since last year, when Mandy Farmer announced plans to build a second Hotel Zed in the Okanagan, Kelowna has been buzzing.

Now, the people of Kelowna have front-row seats to watch the funky update of the 52-room former Abbott Villa. In addition to its eye-popping colour palettes, the hotel will feature rotary dial phones, typewriters, and an interactive lobby decked out with a record player and LP collection.

A classic Dodge will act as the hotel’s shuttle bus.

“We’re so excited by the idea of sharing the really fun experience we’ve had in Victoria with Hotel Zed with even more people—both staff and customers,” says Espley. Hotel Zed in the Okanagan promises to add an element of funky cool to the laid-back, sunny city. Call it a tourist attraction with a difference.

Making good on the Hotel Zed’s tagline, “rebels against the ordinary”, the people of Accent Inns/Hotel Zed even do charitable work a little bit differently.

Consider their recent donation of rubber duckies—dubbed “Doctor Ducks”— to the Kelowna General Hospital’s new perinatal unit.

Since Accent Inn is known for its collectible rubber duckies, the special edition “Doctor Ducks” were a fun way for the company to support the ongoing fundraising efforts of the KGH Foundation. The proceeds will help the hospital purchase lifesaving equipment for expectant mothers.

“We thought, what a better way to raise awareness for KGH and the Giving Giggles campaign than a special Doctor Duck,” says Espley. “Accent Inns is a family business that believes in supporting families. The KGH Perinatal Unit is all about giving children and families a great healthy start to life and to us.

That means everything.” www.accentinns.com www.hotelzed.com

12

KAMLOOPS

APRIL 2016

BCLC SUPPORTS KAMLOOPS CHAMBER IN A WIN WIN PARTNERSHIP BCLC sponsors Technology Innovator Award at Business Excellence Awards

K Thanks to partners like you communities can grow.

When you play with BCLC you support great organizations just like the Kamloops Chamber of Commerce and help grow communities across B.C. Happy 120th Anniversary.

AMLOOPS - The British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) is proud to be a part of the Kamloops Chamber of Commerce’s 120year history. Since BCLC first opened its doors 30-years ago, it has called Kamloops home and its impact on the community has been significant.

A Thompson River University (TRU) study found that BCLC’s economic impact in the city, since 1985, has been $1.1 billion. The same study found that for every two jobs at BCLC’s head office, another is created in the community. It currently employs 400 workers recruited from within the city, country and from around the globe.

“Our employees choose our company for the opportunities and choose Kamloops for its lifestyle,” said Jim Lightbody, president and chief executive officer, BCLC. Over the past thirty years, the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) and its players have delivered more than $18 billion to support communities,

provincial programs and services, charities and major events.

I n K a m lo ops a lone, BCL C has sponsored the 1993 Canada Summer Games, 2014 Tim Hortons Brier, 2016 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship and Music in the Park. In addition, gambling proceeds have f u nded loca l road i mprovements, i nve s t i n g i n nei g hbourhood playgrounds and to improve signage and floral displays on the Kamloops R iver Trail.

It has also provided support and ongoing partnership opportunities for the Kamloops Chamber of Commerce. “ We h ave p a r t n e re d w it h BCLC over the years to bring in excellent speakers for our mem b ersh ip a nd to d el iver ot her prog ra m s such a s t he BCLC Technology Innovator Award,” said Deb McClelland, executive director, Kamloops Chamber of Commerce.

Presented to a Kamloops area business that has shown creativity and innovation in adopting, developing or utilizing new technology to advance its business, the award was initially sponsored by BCLC in 2011. “ Pa r t ners h ip s w it h B C L C e n a bl e o u r org a n i z at ion to d e l i v e r a h i g h e r c a l i b re o f prog ra m for both ou r membership and the community,” said McClelland.

With a l most two-th i rds of its staff having attended TRU at some point in their career, B C L C wo rk s w i t h t h e u n iversity to support the city’s growing tech community, including accepting a TRU coop student into its technology department.

Paying it forward is an ongoing theme of BCLC with 43 cents of every dollar gambled going back to provincial and community programs, 23 cents to prizes, another 23 cents to commissions and fees, 9 cents for operating expenses and 2 cents to the federal government in taxes. And paying it forward doesn’t stop there. BCLC and its employees also play an important part in the city’s volunteer culture.

Nearly half of BCLC staff volunteer an average of 80 hours of their personal time to more than 100 community organizations every year.

“Our people are the engines who drive exceptional results i n ou r busi ness a nd t hey’re also part of the social fabric of this great community,” said Lightbody.

BCLC is proud to support an organization that is as forward thinking, proactive and dedicated to its members as t he Kamloops Chamber of Commerce. Congratulations on your 120th anniversary.

A SOLID FOUNDATION TO BUILD UPON Abbott Wealth Management dedicated to integrity, respect and appreciation

K John van Limbeek Partner

Sandy Vollo Partner

Mark Bertoli Partner

207-1211 Summit Drive Kamloops, BC V2C 5R9 Tel: (250) 372-3736 Fax: (250) 372-7527 Toll Free: 1-877-922-2688 Web: www.abbottwealth.com

AMLOOPS - W hile the name Abbott Wealth Management naturally evokes images of financial services, the Kamloops-based company is dedicated to providing its clients with more than advice on money matters.

With a proven history of excellence in all aspects of financial and estate planning, it’s just as much about purpose, integrity, respect and appreciation for each other says Sandy Vollo, Financial Advisor, and one of three partners in the company.

“T he most i mpor ta nt pa r t of our philosophy is our connection with our clients. We maintain our relationships with them, we treasure them and we value them. We deliver what we promise.”

Client-company relationships are vital but so is the importance of positive interaction between team members. An article that appeared earlier in Kamloops Profiles of Excellence, describes the working environment of the company.

“The entire team carries the same values. Their vision, mission and value statements apply not only to the way they interact with clients but in the way they interact with each other.”

Together the current company has a team of twelve, 3 partners and 9 associates, providing programs ranging from basic to advanced tax planning, estate planning, and professional asset management. They’re also available to discuss options for retirement income, tax strategies, risk-management reduction and progress tracking.

In additional to a continuing commitment to work with all their clients, Sandy notes that they also offer Corporate and Business Owners insurance, and financial counselling services.

Reaching beyond the doors of the company’s office, the team offers support to the community at large, including such organizations and non-profits as: the Kamloops Rotary and Rotary International, Kamloops Chamber of Commerce, Family Tree, Habitat for Humanity, Kamloops Salvation Army, Kamloops Food Bank, Masonic Cancer Car Project, Kamloops Brain Injury and others.

Abbott Wealth Management is a private company that has been in business since 1984. http://abbottwealth.com/

13

APRIL 2016

KAMLOOPS CHAMBER CELEBRATES 120 YEARS

Steve Earl said the Kamloops Chamber is a very active and engaged group CREDIT: KCOC

Group’s focus on policy making sets it apart from other chambers in BC and country

K

A MLOOPS - The Kamloops Chamber of Commerce celebrates 1 20 years of service and continues

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“We are unique in BC,” said D eb Mc Clel la nd , e x e c u t ive director, Kamloops Chamber of Com merce (KCOC), adding that the group’s focus on policy making sets it apart from other chambers in BC and the country.

“Our group brings sound ideas to a discussion table where we build position papers. Debates are held, the paper adjusted, amended and then voted on.”

One of those position papers

was instrumental in the creation of the tax free savings account or TFSA. “An organization is a reflection of its members,” said Steve Earl, past president, KCOC. “We have a very active and engaged group.”

McClel la nd added that the Kamloops chamber was also instrumental in seeing changes to cabotage regulations. She explained that policies, which had shipping containers only having

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30 days to deliver goods and return to the originating country, were limiting and costly.

“Busi nesses wa nted to use the empty containers to ship around the country, 30 days wasn’t enough time, so we took a proposal to the federal government. Businesses can now utilize containers over 365 days.

It is a much more cost effective SEE CELEBRATES 120 YEARS| PAGE 15

14

KAMLOOPS

APRIL 2016

ACCENT INNS A FAMILY AFFAIR

different in a good way.

Happy 120th Kamloops Chamber!

accentinns.com Victoria Vancouver Kelowna Kamloops

BC-wide hospitality brand gives back to the community

K

A MLOOPS - For some, t he n a me Accent I n ns immediately congers up visions of comfortable accommodations for those days and nights you are away from home.

Rightly so, but Marketing Director, John Espley, wants to let people know they offer far more than just a place to stay.

“Terry Farmer was the founder a nd h is d aug hter, Mandy Farmer, is president of Accent Inns. We have five locations Kelowna, Burnaby, one across from the Vancouver A irport and one in Kamloops. We also have a new Hotel Zed in Victoria with a second opening in Kelowna. They’re all owned by the family,” Espley, told Business Thompson Okanagan.

Behind the scenes, Espley and earlier, Terry Farmer, served in leadership roles in local and provincial Chamber of Comm e rc e o rg a n i z a t i o n s . Jo h n noted that he has personally invested much time and work into the hotel chain’s commitment to supporting local Chambers of Commerce activities.

“I represent Accent Inns as a corporate member of the B.C. Chamber and was heavily involved in policy-making. I’m proud of the work we’ve done in Kamloops,” he said.

Not on ly does he h ave t he right to be gratified with the work he and the Accent Inns family have done, the company was recently awarded the Kamloops Mayor’s 2016 Business in Support of the A rts in Kamloops award.

Actively supporting the Kamloops Festival of Performing Arts since 1996, Accent Inns provides complimentary rooms for office use during the festival as well as reduced rates o n ro o m s fo r n o n-re s i d e n t musicians.

In yet another way in which Accent Inns demonstrates its support for local businesses, Espley poi nted out how t he compa ny h a s g iven back to other groups.

“Over the years we’ve supported many charities but one thing I’m really proud of is the Cha r ity i n Cha ng i ng T i mes seminars we presented. These w e re t ra i n i n g s e s s i o n s fo r people working in non-profit organization. We did that for several years.”

SAVING PROBLEMS, ONE SHOVELFUL AT A TIME Company specializes in discovering buried pipelines and utilities

Serving Western Canada since 1994 Kamloops: 250.318.7064 Fort St. John: 250.262.1224 Terrace: 250.641.4065 3-dlinelocating.com

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A M LOOPS - A lthough dialling and digging may not always immediately come to mind as companions, Michael Mayr and his wife, Lindsay, operate a thriving business connecting the two. 3-D Line Locating Ltd. headquartered in Alberta but with satellite offices in Fort St. John and Kamloops, is dedicated to preventing damage and potentially saving lives by discovering buried pipelines and utilities.

“People are becoming aware of the dangers of digging without knowing what’s there. Instead of digging up a gas line, for example, we’ll find it and hopefully save some lives that way,” Michael told Business Thompson Okanagan.

Founded in 1994 by Michael’s father, the couple purchased the company five years ago; the satellite offices were opened fairly recently allowing them to live and work in the Kamloops area.

3-D Line Locating Ltd. currently employs 15-20 people during the spring season and between 35 and 45 people during the rest of

“People are becoming aware of the dangers of digging without knowing what’s there.” the year. Michael describes the growth of the company here as sustainable and sees that continuing for at least another five to ten years.

“We are taking time to build the local presence as this is quite a busy area. Our main goal is to get out into the community and become part of it. We’re taking part in local activities as well as growing our business,” he said.

Lindsay’s role in the company operations is as co-owner, office manager and entrepreneur in her own right, providing a strong example of leadership as a business woman, wife and mother.

When asked about community involvement, Michael noted that they, along with their team members, are outdoor types.

“We’re not typically at a desk and we walk for a living. We enjoy anything to be outside. We were down for the SPCA Animal Walk in Kamloops - all our people, including kids and dogs, were there.” www:3-dlinelocating.com or call 780-514-4607

KAMLOOPS

APRIL 2016

15

Established in 1962

Over 100 years of appraisal experience We are qualified and experienced to provide professional opinions of value on all types of property including vacant and improved single-family and multiple-family residential, commercial, industrial, institutional, agricultural and recreational real estate as well as native land tenure including the valuation of leasehold interest, pre-paid land lease and setting of annual land lease rates. We also complete replacement cost appraisals for insurance and strata reserve fund studies.

Allan Milton, Leeann Milton-Wood and Brad Wood CREDIT:ALLAN MILTON

We service primarily the Southern Interior region, but also undertake commercial appraisal work in the Central Interior, Northern British Columbia and Kootenay regions.

Our residential team services the City of Kamloops as well as the region’s Cities, Villages, Districts and rural areas within approximately two to three hours drive of Kamloops.

Flynn Mirtle Moran

Real Estate Appraisers and Consultants 207-310 Nicola Street, Kamloops, BC

(250) 374-7731

Phone: Web Site: www.fmmkamloops.ca Email: info@fmmkamloops.ca

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CELEBRATES 120 YEARS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13

way to move goods.”

Currently, the chamber is working on policy concerning day light savings and McClelland said that the membership is always working in-house on improving policies and member services.

“We continuously audit our methods,” she said. “If there is another way to improve service, we look at restructuring to bring fresh ideas to our four pillars of service delivery.”

L a s t ye a r, a c c ord i n g to E a rl , t he KCOC earned its accreditation with distinction.

“We are one of a few across Canada,” he said. “It’s a long process of revisiting bylaws and policies ensuring the organization’s internal policy and individual roles are functioning correctly. The Canadian Chamber of Commerce was very impressed by what Deb and the team put together and is using it as a model SEE CELEBRATES 120 YEARS| PAGE 17

Steven Earl believes the success of their group is a reflection of its members CREDIT: KCOC

KAMLOOPS

16

APRIL 2016

SUPPLYING CUPBOARDS TO BE FILLED Consistency key for 7 Point Millworks

F

o r Te d a n d M a r y a n n e K o w a l s k y, t h e s u c cess of their company 7 Point M illworks & Installations Ltd. proves the validity of the “slow and steady wins the day” maxim.

“We started a renovating and contracting company in 1981.

In 2001 we started a millwork company called Top Quality Millworks [TQM]. On November 8, 2005 we incorporated 7 Point Millworks and Installations Ltd.,” Ted told Business Thompson Okanagan.

Today the Kam loops based T QM i s t he sole suppl ier of cabi net r y to Shoppers Drug Mart stores from British C ol u m b i a to T h u n d e r B a y, Ontario, while 7 Point Millworks a nd I nsta l lations Ltd is focused on supply i ng a nd i nsta l l i ng cabi netry to both resident i a l a nd com merci a l cu stomers i n t he K a m loops area.

“Our goal is to be a company that is very efficient….If we tel l someone t hei r cabi nets will be installed on a certain date, they will be installed at

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that ti me. We don’t ta ke on more work than we can complete in the stated time.”

W hen asked to ex pla i n the significance of the company n a me, Ted ex pl a i ned it wa s i n spi red by h i s son-i n-l aw, outdo orsm a n a nd compa ny manager, Kurt Nordick.

“Ku rt is a n av id outdoorsm a n a nd he suggested t he n a me, compa r i ng t he company to a ‘7 point elk’. He also designed the logo.”

It takes more than a name to set a business apart, though, and Ted credits the company’s ten highly skilled craftsmen employees as well as high end equipment such as their computerized cutting machine, as success factors.

Outside worki ng hou rs the Kowa l sk ys a re av id a nd i nvolve d s up p or ters of K a mloops’ youth sporting events; Te d s e r v e s a s c h a i r m a n o f KIBIHT, the Kamloops International Bantam Ice Hockey Tournament.

“T hey’ve just had their 4 8 t h c o n s e c u t i v e t o u r n ament, one of the g reatest Ba nta m ice hockey tou r n aments in the world. We are a major supporter of that a nd other youth sports activities in Kamloops.”

For more information visit: www. 7pointmillworks.ca or call 250-314-6505

ocated a short drive from downtown Kamloops, the South Thompson Inn and Conference Centre is a unique boutique Inn plus so much more.

Based on the philosophy of providing first class guest service, the Inn offers fifty-seven individually decorated guest rooms including the Manor house and two Stable suites. Situated on fifty-five acres on the banks of the South Thompson River with panoramic views of the Rocky Mountain foothills, it’s the perfect place for a vacation, reunion, or wedding.

The South Thompson Inn is also a perfect business conference venue.

“T he I n n i s you r one stop wedding destination. We can host the ceremony, reception and offer guest rooms all in one convenient location. The Manor House is perfect for weddings, golf groups, reunions etc.; with

7 individual bedrooms, a ‘great room’, dining room and a fully equipped kitchen.” Events and Marketing manager, Anke Irwin, explained.

Going back to its origins as a thoroughbred breeding facility, the Stable Suites, once housed the jockeys of prize horses; white fenced paddocks with horses and llamas still preserve the character of the place. Next door to the Inn is the Championship Course Rivershore Golf Links. The Inn offers a variety of complimentary amenities like mountain bikes, lawn games, outdoor hot tub and seasonal pool, fitness centre, high speed Wi-Fi and parking to their guests.

A n add e d b onu s for m a ny visitors is the Inn’s pet friendly policy.

“I bring my dog to work and our guests love it, we love their pets, too. We had a wedding that included their horses and dog in the ceremony.” Anke told Business Examiner Thompson Okanagan.

The Inn has been recognized as the #1 out of 55 properties in Kamloops on TripAdvisor for six consecutive years and has received the Hall of Fame Award.

The Kamloops Chamber of Commerce has awarded three separate Business Excellence Awards for customer service.

KAMLOOPS

APRIL 2016

17

City of Kamloops Office of the Mayor

Congratulations on 120 Years Mayor and Council would like to thank the Chamber of Commerce for their role in promoting and expanding our business community.

Mayor Peter Milobar Councillor Donovan Cavers KCOC received accreditation in 2015

Councillor Ken Christian

CREDIT: KCOC

Councillor Dieter Dudy Concillor Tina Lange Councillor Arjun Singh Councillor Marg Spina Councillor Pat Wallace CCE 3615

Councillor Denis Walsh

www.kamloops.ca

Ryan Scorgie, the new board president with Deb McClelland and Chamber staff CREDIT:KEN WONG

Small Meetings

Guaranteed Experience meetings in the mountains at Sun Peaks Grand Hotel & Conference Centre In 2013 the Kamloops Chamber purchased their own building CREDIT:CANDACE ERLENBACH

CELEBRATES 120 YEARS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15

for other chambers.”

He added that the accreditation process is reassurance to the chamber’s members that it is governed well and maintains its prime focus on member

services.

For Allan Milton, owner and president of Milton Group, the Kamloops Chamber has served his family-owned business almost from its inception.

Small Meetings Guaranteed package includes meeting room rental, guestroom, working lunch and coffee break, wireless internet, and parking.

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SEE CELEBRATES 120 YEARS| PAGE 19

KAMLOOPS

18

APRIL 2016

4.8”w x 6.2”h - cmyk

KINDER MORGAN PLANS MAJOR INVESTMENT

Congratulations to the Kamloops Chamber of Commerce on 120 Years and Thank You for Your Continued Support of the Proposed Trans Mountain Expansion Project.

By unlocking access to world markets for oil, the Project will result in increased tax dollars and years of employment.

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CANADA

Pipeline expansion includes $455 million spend

M

ore than 60 years have passed since the builders of the Trans Mountain Pipeline chose Kamloops as a primary junction for this important piece of national infrastructure.

It’s striking to realize t h at even by t he e a rly 1950s t he K a m loops Chamber of Com merce was a strong presence in the community and the region, advocating for local business development as well as contributing to provincial and national debates on public policy.

I congratulate the K a m loops Ch a mb er of Com merce on its 1 20 t h anniversary and extend best wishes on behalf of our Kamloops Terminal employe e s a nd a l l t h e members of our pipeline team in British Columbia and Alberta.

We look forward to continuing our involvement

Ian Anderson is President of Kinder Morgan Canada

“It’s striking to realize even by the early 1950s the Kamloops Chamber of Commerce was a strong presence in the community and the region.”

i n the K a m loops economy for many decades to come and especially want to t h a n k t he Ch a mb er for its stated support of

our project pending a favourable environmental rev iew. We sh a re you r expectations for safe and environmentally responsible development.

The Project would bring a my riad of benefits to Kamloops. We’re planning $455 million in construction spending here.

Local businesses will realize an estimated $42 million in worker spending on things such as accommodation, meals and clothing.

Trans Mountain’s annual property ta xes wou ld rise by $1.3 m i llion, easing the burden on a l l loca l ta x payers.

Our Community Benefits Program would provide Kamloops $700,000 for local projects.

Ka m loops a nd other communities along the p i p e l i n e ro u t e c a n b e certain Trans Mountain Ex pa nsion Project w i l l respect their values, unlocking billions of dollars in benefits to our country while providing robust opportu n ities for loca l business.

Ian Anderson is P resid e nt of Kind e r Morgan Canada

iTEL EXPERIENCES RAPID GROWTH Business technology services provider on the hunt for new location

K

AMLOOPS - You probably wouldn’t have guessed that one of Canada’s fastest growing companies is headquartered on the Kamloops North Shore.

iTel Networks is a national provider of business voice and Internet services. Its network connects all of Canada’s largest telephone and Internet systems and serves the networking needs of large and small businesses with services including fiber optic internet, SIP trunking, cloud solutions and hosted PBX services.

Over its 10 years of operation iTel has sustained explosive growth, so much so that they have now outgrown their building. “We’re on the hunt for a new headquarters in Kamloops,” says Danny R i n k, i Tel’s Fo u nd er a nd Chief Operating Officer. The company is forecasting hiring 200-300 employees over the next two years, most of them in Kamloops.

“Kamloops is the perfect place to grow a company,” says Rink.

“We have access to great people, and we’re surrounded by beautiful landscapes. It makes for an incredible lifestyle that’s more affordable than major cities.”

In many ways, the story of iTel’s growth is the story of Kamloops’ revitalized technology scene. iTel was the founding company of the Kamloops Innovation Centre, donating the space and services that have helped facilitate the growth of 13 start-ups. “We wanted to bring a little Silicon Valley here,” says Rink.

“We have that same drive and that same emphasis on culture.

We bought the $30k espresso machine out of a Starbucks, and there are laser guns and pizza around all the time. We have high standards here, but we have fun too.”

With another year of 200 per cent growth forecasted one thing is certain, wherever iTel’s new headquarters is, it’s going to have to be big. iTel is currently hiring in the following departments: Admin & Support – Customer Success Associate

Development – SIP / Network Engineer, Developer Marketing & Sales – Sales Manager, Sales Development Associate, Senior Account Executive

KAMLOOPS

APRIL 2016

19

CELEBRATES 120 YEARS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17

Hegyi Refrigeration & Mechanical Ltd.

“ Our group brings sound ideas to a discussion table where we build position papers. Debates are held, the paper adjusted, amended and then voted on.”

“Service you can depend on”

DEB MCCLELLAND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR KAMLOOPS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

35 Years In Business!

“J Milton Ltd. became a member in 1897 when my great grandfather was transporting household goods for new settlers.”

“The group does a fantastic job, not just on the national or provincial stage, but for small and large business owners at home,” he said. “The meetings and events are a chance to network with other companies and get your name out there, and being a member of the chamber gives you a certain credibility in the community.”

His company isn’t the only one with long-term ties to the Chamber. Fulton & Company Lawyers have also been members for more than a century.

Milton feels one of the most important events the Chamber created were the Business Excellence Awards. Introduced thirty years ago, it focuses on showcasing exceptional contributions through community involvement and leadership.

All of the 18 awards are sponsored by local chamber businesses such as the BC Hydro Green Award, BDC Manufacturer

Our Services

We service the following range of equipment;

Deb McClelland has been executive director for 13 years CREDIT: KCOC

Award, BCLC Technology Innovator Award and Kamloops Chamber of Commerce President’s Award.

McClelland said that the number one reason for businesses to join the chamber has always been to meet like-minded individuals. She added that regular socials provide not only business connections, but also the potential for learning from other successful companies.

“Our speed networking program is very popular,” she said. “It’s like networking on steroids. We have two concentric circles, one within another, with individuals facing each other. One of the partners has 60 seconds to share something about their business and what they SEE CELEBRATES 120 YEARS| PAGE 21

Sound ideas are brought to the table to build position papers CREDIT: KCOC

Monte Lake, BC

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Food Store Refrigeration Walk in coolers and freezers Rooftop Heating/Cooling and ventilation Restaurant and Paint Booth Make Up Air systems Small Restaurant and point of sale coolers and freezers Coffee systems Cooking equipment like: ovens, deep fryers, commercial ranges Bakery equipment Too much to list – if it is commercial food service equipment call us to see if we can repair it.

Contact Us 24 Hour Emergency Service Regular business hours are Monday to Friday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.

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Our long Distance contact number is 1-877-375-2822 We are located at 1335 Dalhousie Drive, Kamloops, BC

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20

APRIL 2016

COMPUTER IT SOLUTIONS COMPANY PARTNERS LOCAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE , VIU AND BCLC Working together to benefit many

K

AMLOOPS - Compugen may be a highly-successful company with bragging rights to first place in CDN’s Top 100 Solution Providers in Canada rankings in 2011 but it’s made up of people who care about people and about the projects that support community.

Founded in 1981 and headquartered in Richmond Hill, Ontario, Compugen is a privately owned and operated company specializing in providing IT solutions. It boasts thirteen offices in Canada, one in Houston, Texas and 1,500 employees.

“The company has a large presence in Western Canada,” Robin Spence, Client Director of the company told Business Thompson Okanagan.

T he company is justifiably proud of the management and service solutions it provides to both small companies and large corporations. Among the latter are FortisBC and the BC Lottery Corporation (BCLC).

“We get to work with innovative clients like BCLC and we also

“We get to work with innovative clients like BCLC and we also have the ability to make positive changes in the lives of people of this province.”

ROBIN SPENCE CLIENT DIRECTOR OF COMPUGEN

have the ability to make positive changes in the lives of people of this province.”

When asked to give an example, he cited Compugen’s part in making sure a company or organizations’ IT operations are running as smoothly as possible.

“That way, organizations minimize downtime and staff are able to spend time helping their customers - rather than being internally focused. Ultimately that means more time, higher revenue and the ability to make a positive difference for the people they are serving. Those who benefit, benefit the most,” he explained.

One of the areas benefiting from BCLC revenue support is Kamloops. Although there is not a brick and mortar presence in the city as yet, Compugen has

Harry receiving the plaque of appreciation from Dr. Mike Henry, Dean of the School of Business an Economics.

Strategy, Planning & Architecture

Datacentre & Cloud

Harry Zarek a strong virtual presence in the city.

“We work closely with Thompson River University in their speaker series and also with the Kamloops Innovation Centre in the IT incubator, where businesses get assistance in getting started,” Robin said.

Terry Mirza, Vice president of sales for Western Canada and the U.S. office, agrees: “At Compugen we like to give back in support of and in partnership with community [organizations and businesses]. Through that process we’ve become very excited about the Interior of British Columbia and about the City of Kamloops. Because of our relationship with BCLC we have become a steward of that community.”

When asked to explain the term “steward”, Terry defined it as

giving back to a community that already takes care of their own people through the university, the Chamber of Commerce and a host of charities and non-profits.

“We want to be part of that journey. They have a great sense of pride about their people and about generating a self-sufficient culture. We’re just giving back,” he said.

Terry noted their current and future roles in the community: hiring more people; investment in the community and greater visibility. Future plans to increase their presence in Kamloops include creating a physical presence in the city “We’re putting our brand and our wallet out there, together with BC Lotteries and the community. People and trust are the things that resonate with a community.”

In cooperation with the TRU and other training facilities in Kamloops, Compugen is also focusing on creating student interest in acquiring the technological skills that will prepare them for the future labour market. As well, the company is involved with the BCLC and TRU speaker series; Compugen founder and president Harry Zarek, was its most recent speaker.

Not to be overlooked is the relationship that’s been fostered

Communication & collarboration

www.compugen.com

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with the Kamloops Chamber of Commerce. According to Dionne Lim, Regional Administration & Sales Marketing Coordinator, Compugen has been actively involved with the Chamber for the past eighteen months. In 2015 the company sponsored the Chamber’s Business Excellence Awards as well as the Quarterly Luncheon series in October 2015. The Kamloops Innovation Council was the recipient of the sponsorship of its TechBrew 2015 event and Compugen also sponsored TRU’s 2016 Foundation Gala held in February.

Pat Davis, Interim Chief Information Officer, Vice-President Business Technology, BCLC, provided the following quote to Business Examiner: “Compugen is a leader in technology and considering technology is at the core of what we do at BCLC, our relationship with Compugen is significant. Compugen’s presence in the community has had a positive impact and helps put Kamloops on the map as an emerging technology hub.”

Be it technology or plain old fashioned co-operation, working relationships between businesses and organizations can accomplish great things.

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KAMLOOPS

APRIL 2016

21 are looking for from networking. Their partner can then respond with how they can help.”

She added that once time is up, a bell rings and people move one seat to the right for another round.

“O u r prog ra m s, i nclud i ng speed networking, have been very successful. Our board has been recognized as one of the most effective in the city.”

McClelland has been the executive director of the Kamloops Chamber for 13 years and said that an ongoing audit process keeps things moving forward.

“We are consistently looking at our four pillars of service delivery, making them more relevant, creating templates, and either introducing new ideas, dropping irrelevant ones or refreshing those that are already existing.”

Whatever it’s doing is working, the chamber has almost 800 members with 12 actively involved directors. In 2013 it purchased its own offices and moved to 615 Victoria Street. In the same year it introduced its new branding.

In 2016 not only will it celebrate 120 years of service to its members it will also host its 30th Business Excellence Awards.

T he Ka m loops Cha mber of Com merce is at 615 Victoria Street in Kamloops www.kamloopschamber.ca

Staff and Deb McClelland celebrate with cake at the AGM CREDIT:KEN WONG

KAMLOOPS FIRM OFFERS MULTIPLE MEETING PLACE OPTIONS Hospitality group operates 6 hotels within Kamloops

K

AMLOOPS – Thanks to the wide range of meeting room options provided by the P.H.I. Hotel Group, book i ng you r nex t busi ness function or educational conference in Kamloops couldn’t be easier. “We have a number of different rooms available, everything from boardrooms t h at c a n se at ten p e ople to large banquet rooms that can accommodate groups of up to 150,” explained Uri Freno, the P.H.I. Group’s Meeting Sales Coordinator.

The P.H.I. (Pacific Hospitality Incorporated) Group, which has operated since 2002 constructs, manages and owns hotels, including six within the City of Kamloops. The firm’s facilities operate under a number of different brand names and service a variety of different markets, ensuring there will be a room available to match any need or to satisfy any budget.

“In the past we’ve looked after all levels of business meetings,

i n c lu d i n g s t rat a m e e t i n g s where local townhome strata councils can have their annual general meetings. Often groups like that can have a problem locating a suitable venue,” he said.

Among the P.H.I. Group’s resources are the technologies needed to successfully carry o u t a n y b u s i n e s s o r t ra i ning session, including rooms equipped with Internet access as well as the availability of audio/ visual systems to make any gathering a success. The Kamloops sales team can also take event planners on a tour of the local facilities to help pinpoint the room best suited to their individual need.

“We encourage you to make the P.H.I. Group your official booking house the next time you’re pla n n i ng a n event i n Kamloops,” Freno said.

“We have access to six hotel choices with various meeting room options, from an intimate meeting to banquet sized gathering. We also have hospitality rooms available, perfect for after wedding functions or as small scale sales rooms. The options are nearly limitless.”

To book your next function the P.H.I. Group’s Kamloops Sales Office can be reached by calling 778-471-9010.

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Congratulations on 120 years and congratulations to our very own Steve Earl GM of the Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott on his year as president of the Chamber.

KAMLOOPS

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APRIL 2016

STRONG LEADERSHIP THE KEY TO SUCCESS with innovative and relevant pro- As we celebrate our 120th anniverKAMLOOPS grams for our membership. We The speakers at DEB MCLELLAND

L

eadership is a major focus for the Kamloops Chamber of Commerce. We strive to lead in the chamber movement

train our board of directors to ensure that we have the right people at the table to lead our organization at a very high level and we are passionate about bringing up new leaders in our community!

Leadercast will inspire you and lead you to become a better person, parent, col league and employer sary as the Kamloops Chamber, we recognize that we would not be where we are today if it were not for the gifted and varied leaders of our chamber and board these past

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years. On March 17th at our Annual General Meeting, we introduced our new Chamber President, Ryan Scorgie of Forward Law LLP, and our new Board of Directors for the 2016/2017 year. These men and women are leaders in their businesses and in our community and we look forward to seeing all that they will accomplish over this next year. And as we plan for the future, we are always on the lookout for new opportunities that will encourage new leaders to rise and current leaders to grow in their abilities.

This year, one of those opportunities is to bring back Leadercast Kamloops for its second year in our community. On May 6th, you have the chance to learn from respected leaders from across the world. The speakers at Leadercast 2016 will inspire you and lead you to become a better person, parent, colleague and employer. We can’t express strongly enough how much this day will impact your life. And don’t just do this for yourself; bring along someone who could use inspiration in their life. Last year, we kept thinking about all the people that we wish we had invited to hear the motivational messages from our speakers. Make a decision to invest in yourself and register today at kamloopschamber.ca!

As we have said, we are an organization that strives to lead in the chamber movement, but we would not exist if it were not for

our members, all of whom are leaders in various ways. This month, Echo Valley Ranch & Spa shares some great news and tells us how they are becoming a leader in their industry: Echo Valley Ranch & Spa was thrilled to open their 21st season on March 12th 2016, with a special addition: they will offer three charging stations for electric cars, in partnership with Tesla through the Destination Charging Program. Two stations will be specific to Tesla, one station will have a universal connection. The addition of those charging stations is part of Echo Valley’s ongoing commitment to sustainability; the ranch is a member of Green Tourism Canada and was just re-certified with Gold status.

We congratulate Echo Valley on their commitment to sustainability and wish them the very best success with their 21st season!

••• To find out more about how the Kamloops Chamber strives to lead in our community and the chamber movement through our board, government relations and value added programs, visit kamloopschamber.ca or call our office – we would love to connect with you.

Deb McClelland is the executive director of the Kamloops Chamber of Commerce. She can be reached email at deb@kamloopschamber.ca

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23

REGIONAL HR SPECIALIST HIRED TO TACKLE LOCAL TOURISM LABOUR MARKET CHALLENGES

THOMPSON OKANAGAN TOURISM GLENN MANDZIUK

G

o2HR, BC’s tourism and hospitality human resource association, appoints Ginger Brunner as the new Regional HR Specialist. The Regional HR Specialist is a new position created in partnership between go2HR and the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA) to address tourism labour market challenges in the Thompson Okanagan region. Brunner will be based in the TOTA office in Kelowna, BC and will represent go2HR within the region.

Obtaining tourism staff is becoming increasingly more difficult, particularly in the regions outside of the lower mainland. It is projected that by 2020 there will be over 12,000 new full-time equivalent job openings and a shortage of over 1600 full-time equivalent staff in the Thompson

Ginger Brunner Okanagan. By having Brunner join the TOTA office, go2HR is able to extend its professional reach into the Thompson Okanagan region.

Brunner is a Certified Human Resource Professional (CHRP) and trainer with more than 15 years of applied human resources and management experience within the tourism/ hospitality industry. Brunner brings experience in developing, facilitating and supporting HR programs, as well as facilitating a range of college and university recruitment initiatives. She will be working with tourism operators and stakeholders in the regionalization of key recruitment, retention and training initiatives as outlined in the BC provincial Tourism Labour Market Strategy and the Thompson Okanagan Regional Tourism Strategy entitled Embracing Our Potential.

“Having a Regional HR Specialist to

represent go2HR within the Thompson Okanagan will allow go2HR to increase assistance and guidance to tourism employers in the region. We are delighted to pilot this initiative in partnership with TOTA which will give us the opportunity to leverage the work of both organizations,” says Arlene Keis, CEO, go2HR. “By working with go2HR, TOTA is able to help ensure that tourism employers will have the right number of qualified employees to meet the demand of the industry and help increase Thompson Okanagan’s impeccable reputation for visitor experience,” says Glenn Mandziuk, President & CEO, Thompson

Okanagan Tourism Association.

“Our expanded role in destination development activities supported by our provincial crown corporation Destination British Columbia further enabled this important program to be established in the region.”

To reach Ginger Brunner, Regional

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COMPANY HAS BUILT A SOLID FOUNDATION FOR SUCCESS SPOTLIGHT

C. Stevens Construction specializes in concrete forming and framing

“CSC delivers high caliber work, in the most efficient manner possible.”

CALEB STEVENS

K

ELOWNA – “Efficient Home Builders” is the solid foundation Kelowna’s Caleb Stevens has built for his construction company, C. Stevens Construction Ltd. “Our company is based squarely on delivering quality work in the most efficient and timely manner possible,” Stevens explained.

“I put a lot of emphasis on the word efficiency in all of the projects that we complete. I teach my employees the definition of the word; the reason being is the word means ‘maximum production with minimum effort or expense.’ Our whole team strives to work efficiently towards that same objective and I am very proud of that.”

Launching his business career at an early age, Stevens has learned a lot about the challenges and triumphs of entrepreneurship through years of practical application. “I’m still a fairly young family man, having started this company when I was only 23 years young. When we started my partner and I were greener than you can imagine but we learned, primarily through the School of Hard Knocks. On the job

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training isn’t easy but it’s an excellent way to learn the trade,” he said.

C. Stevens Construction Ltd (CSC) a company that specializes in residential and commercial concrete forming and framing. CSC first came into being in 2004 under the name Kingdom Construction.

The firm began its life as a joint proprietorship and operated under that banner until about 2008 when the partnership dissolved.

“About four years after we launched the business the partners parted ways. In 2012 we incorporated and rebranded, changing our name to C Stevens Construction Ltd. It was an extensive and fulfilling endeavour when we decided to take on this step. Everything from truck decals to letterhead to sweatshirts had to change,” laughs Stevens.

“Since we rebranded our business as C.Stevens Construction, our client list and trades list has grown substantially. We have almost doubled in size. Despite the change of name, what we do, and how we do it didn’t change. Our work and our commitment to our clients and trades has fundamentally remained the same. CSC delivers high caliber work, in the most efficient manner possible.”

Any residence, multi-family unit or commercial project has to begin with a solid, well laid foundation.

Starting from the beginning process of turning bare land into a finished structure is the fundamental base in everything that C. Stevens Construction does. “We’re involved in every foundational level, from footings to walls to suspended slabs. Everything done on projects of this scale is pretty well structural in nature and fully engineered to the highest quality and standards,” Stevens said.

Building the frames and pouring the concrete is at the heart of the work C. Stevens construction does “On the job we are involved straight from concrete footings, right up to lock up stage. Once the concrete is poured we start framing. On the larger projects we typically build prefabricated wall panels in advance and then erect them as needed. This speeds up the process immensely and turns out a very controlled and consistent product. Once the roof is on and the windows are in we usually have some back framing to do, but we have mostly wrapped up our part of the project by that stage,” he explained.

“As a sub trade we typically work with builders, developers and general contractors. As a sub trade we have been involved in numerous municipal, provincial and cityfunded projects. An example of how a project would proceed is the City (or other) will have a project and hire a prime contractor. The prime contractor would then hire us to do the work, that’s one example of how we get our contracts in this industry.”

The company has the tools and the personnel to handle any framing assignment, residential or commercial A few examples of CSC’s involvement with major local developments are Kelowna’s Central Green Project, one of Kelowna’s newest master planned communities, located near the city’s downtown core on the old Kelowna Secondary School site. “One project that we

are very proud to have been involved in is the West Bank Lions Hall rebuild. The Lions Hall was burnt down by arson in September 2014,” he said.

“Another major project that we have been involved in since inception is the Solstice at Tower

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The company has played a pivotal role in the construction of some of the Okanagan’s finest high end homes

C. Stevens Construction has been involved in numerous multifamily and social housing projects Ranch. This project boasts panoramic valley views and is situated on a Thomas Broom signature golf course. Fully developed, this project will include 149 residential homes catering to active adult living, located on the Tower Ranch golf course.”

The new Kelowna Central Green project is particularly important to CSC. “At present we are working on the Kelowna Central Green Project which is a partnership housing project between the Ki-Low-Na Friendship Society, BC Housing and City of Kelowna. Ki-Low-Na friendship Housing is an affordable rental housing project in the heart of the City. Ultimately there will be upwards of 800 units developed once this project is completed. We are very excited and proud to be a part of this cutting edge development. Currently we are involved in completing the first building of this project which involves the first

86 units. This is a milestone project for us,” Stevens said.

“While single family residential projects continue to play a big part in CSC’s workload we increasingly find ourselves working on larger multi-family projects as well as social housing developments to accommodate the city’s growing elderly and less fortunate population.”

The Society of Hope, the largest non-profit affordable housing provider in the Interior of BC, has been behind some of the projects C. Stevens Construction has worked on.

“During the past year, for example, we have worked on three individual projects that have had BC Housing involved for the Society for Hope and other social housing providers in the area. It’s important that we can work on projects that support our community.”

As Stevens and his company have matured, he has also gained

C. Stevens Construction works on a project from the foundation right up to the framing stage a respect for those who have made the sizable commitment of learning their craft in a formal and structured manner. “As our business has grown I’ve been actively encouraging my core guys to become Apprentices and Journeymen Carpenters. The reason is there is always a need for solid qualified committed carpenters in our industry,” he said.

“As a business we are so fortunate to have so many key players that have contributed so much to our success. Our lead project foreman, Joe Newhook has been with us for nearly a decade. When Joe started he had zero experience in the industry, but from the day he started I saw the potential in him.

Joe has grown into a lead carpenter, to a foreman and now to someone I go to for advice and opinions in

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many aspects of the business. It is so exciting to me so see how far he has come and how he will continue to grow as an individual and in the business.”

For Stevens, making the effort to receive formal training will ultimately pay the student large dividends. “Education and growth is a commitment and it is well worth the effort. When I see a Journeyman carpenter it shows that they have the determination to learn the job right and are committed to doing the job right. These are people we look for when we hire. I want people who have authentic pride in what they do. Pride is exactly the word I use to describe how I feel when completing any project and I want to instill that same sense of pride and workmanship in our team.”

Depending on the workload or season CSC’s staff count can change, but typically ranges between a team of 15 and 30. “Right now we are running our core team of about 15 about six months ago we had nearly 35 so it can change dramatically depending on the workload. There is a lot of turnover in the construction industry so it’s pertinent to me to have a solid core team at all times, we can always hire extras when the need arises,” he explained.

“This is a testament to our company that we rarely have to lay anyone off. Although it is one of the realities in this business that people move on to other jobs, we have 15 on my team that no matter what, I strive to keep busy through thick and thin.”

Successfully running a local framing and forming Construction Company for well over a decade, Stevens looks forward to what the future will bring.

“Our goal for the future is to continue growth, evolving into bigger projects. Our corporate mandate is to continue growth by streamlining our processes and taking on larger more complex projects. I strive to network and to build bridges in our local community and construction industry daily. “ CSC Ltd. is committed to a future of large and small scale projects and to be a trusted reliable name in the local construction industry for years to come.

To learn more please visit the company’s website at: www.csconstructionltd.ca

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Identifying Right Values Align A Powerful Force Ashton Associates: Okanagan’s Number One Executive Search Firm

BY DAVID HOLMES

K

ELOWNA – The matching of the perfect candidate with the ideal job is as much about heart and character as it is cold hard science.

For Barbara Ashton of Ashton Associates, one of the Okanagan’s premier executive search firms, making the correct match has much in common with operating a dating service.

“Finding the tactical skills that fit the job description is not the issue; what’s hard is finding that special someone who has their heart and soul in the right place and whose values are aligned with our client, then everyone moves forward in a joyous and meaningful manner.

That’s when real magic happens,” she said.

Ashton Associates consists of 2:19 Ashton PM and her team of two full time and three part time consultants who work exclusively on behalf of their client companies, meaning they are not in the business of building resume databases. With a track record in corporate headhunting going back to the 1980’s birth of the BC high tech boom, Ashton has since moved out of high tech

“We essentially serve the role of corporate matchmaker building meaningful long-term relationships” BARBARA ASHTON OWNER, ASTON ASSOCIATES

to become a generalist Search Consultant working throughout the Okanagan, West Kootenays and Southern British Columbia.

“We also have clients in the Lower Mainland as a result of our clients liking work we do for them in the Interior, but that’s not ou r ty pica l territory,” she said, adding “We are BC’s Number One Executive Search firm serving the Okanagan and Interior.”

What makes Ashton unique is it starts by undertaking a thorough vetting of the company doi ng the h i ri ng. Not ever y c ompa ny w i l l b enef it f rom Ashton’s services. T he team works directly with decision makers and business owners, the company principals who define and reinforce values and culture. “There are times when we just aren’t the right fit for an employer, and we’ll be the first to suggest this and refer those looking to work with us on to better solutions.”

When describing what makes a g re at Se a rch Con s u lta nt, Ashton says one needs to be pa rt psycholog ist, pa rt private investigator, part counselor, part business manager and part sales person to meet

the diverse needs of their clients. “Ou r executive sea rch strategies are unique in that we first look for right values a nd cu ltu ra l a l ig n ment. We don’t try to fit a square peg in a round hole - that’s never going to work, regardless of how skilled a candidate may be. If values between the company and the candidate are not in alignment the relationship will break down.”

Moving forward Ashton believes there is a growing awareness about the services her firm provides, adding that ensuring right fit hiring is more important than her company’s revenues. “One can’t exist without the other, being big and making lots of money isn’t really what we’re after. Our value system is about bu ild ing wonderfu l companies and connecting the right people with them. We essentially serve the role of corporate matchmaker building mea n i ng f u l long-term relationships,” she said.

“We work with companies to build their bottom line, bringing amazing right fit talent to every search we conduct. We’re definitely not your everyday recruiting firm.”

Barbara Ashton is one of the Okanagan’s top Executive Search Consultants

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EACHLAND - Major updates, new features and improved integration tools have Microsoft Office 365 successfully adapting to how businesses use computers and software.

Ken Shuler, owner of Aurous Technology, said that the new program gives the small business owner more power and functionality with no huge cash outlay.

“The online subscription service offers options for home or office use and multiple user downloads.”

Shuler said that collaboration is the stand out feature of 365, with OneDrive or SharePoint online allowing editing in real time from different users.

“With a fast and stable network connection, joint editing can get projects to completion faster, and Share provides access to other tools, like Skype, for video or phone chats or to send an email within the program.”

For Schuler, some of the most important features and improvements are experienced in Outlook, an email service that received a lot

of attention and fine tuning from Microsoft programmers.

“Most businesses nowadays communicate via email in some form and with Outlook, especially if the owner is using it with an Exchange server, they can also access special features that improve productivity and organization.”

He added that some of the tweaks Microsoft made to Outlook are subtle but make the program more user friendly and manageable by integrating it with contacts, calendar, attachments and stored files.

New components rolled out this year include Planner, new for Office 365, that offers a simple and visual method for organizing teamwork, tasks, and projects; Delve, a dashboard for enterprise members; and Sway, a platform for creating and sharing presentations and more.

Shuler said that offices and business owners looking to access Office 365’s powerful features can contact Aurous for installation on one or more computers, and about migrating files, contacts, and projects, and for in-house training on the many new features 365 offers.

“The value of this suite of programs is unparalleled,” Shuler said. “It’s the right solution for any size business.” www.auroustech.com

SALMON ARM/OFF THE COVER

APRIL 2016

27

NEW EXECUTIVE ELECTED AT AGM

SALMON ARM CORRYN GRAYSTON

C

ongratulations to Tanya Langlois who recently received her real estate license and is setting up shop with RE/MAX Shuswap at 1111 Lakeshore Drive S.W. With a background in legal conveyancing and as a development assistant, Tanya has the skills to help you with your property needs. Within her practice as a Real Estate

Agent, Tanya aspires to maintain a high level of skill, knowledge, and enthusiasm, and welcomes a ny questions or com ments you may have regarding the industry. Tanya’s contact info is tanyalanglois@remax.net or (250) 832-7051.

Kim Karampelas is very excited to have successfully secured the lease for one of Salmon Arm’s best assets, the Salmon Arm Wharf at Marine Peace Park. Kim is also the owner of Sea-Dog Rentals which offers boat and sea-doo rentals, water toys, and marine fuel. SeaDog Rentals is the #1 rental fleet in the Shuswap including a line of specialty boats, such as pontoon boats, luxury bow-riders plus wakeboards, kneeboards, waterskis, tubes and more! Rent by the hour or week. There’s something for every budget. Visit www.

seadogrentals.com or call Kim directly at (250) 804-4708.

••• The Salmon Arm Chamber of Commerce hosted their 2016 Annual General Meeting on Tuesday, March 15 at the Comfort Inn & Suites. We are pleased to announce our Executive and Directors for the 2016/2017 term are: President: Matt Koivisto of Salmon Arm Barber Shop, VicePresident: Roger Downie of Bank of Montreal, Secretary-Treasurer: Carol McCreight of Carol McCreight Accounting & Bookkeeping, Executive-at-Large: Ernest Moniz of WellBanks Sustainable Agriculture Services, Directors: Stu Bradford of Barley Station Brewpub, Doug MacMillan of Shuswap Wine Tours, Fiona Harris of Shuswap Hospital Foundation; Mary-Lou McCausland of

Write-On, Jo McDermott of Java Jive and Susan Robinson of Sunrise Business Solutions.

••• Salmon Arm Farm & Craft Market will open their outdoor market on April 29 at their 5th & 5th location (in the Rainbow Glass parking lot). Featuring locally-grown produce and local artisans this is one of Salmon Arm’s most popular farm markets. The market is open on Tuesdays and Fridays from 8:00 am – 12:30 pm. They are also happy to announce that starting June 29 until September 7, they are partnering with Downtown Salmon Arm to create an evening market at the Ross Street Plaza from 4 – 7 pm on Wednesdays.

Live entertainment will be on the Stage from 4:30 – 6 pm.

Visit www.salmonarmdowntown.com for more details.

••• O r g a n i z e r s a re b u s y ge tting every thing together for the Salty Street Fest and Salty Dog Enduro scheduled for May 14 & 15, 2016. The Street Fest is expanding to include more kid’s games and entertainment including a kids’ bike parade through the downtown. T he Fest is on May 14th a nd the incredibly popular Salty Dog Enduro (with over 750 mountain bike racers participating) ta kes place on Su nday, May 15th. For race and festival info go to www.skookumcycle.com

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Safety Innovation and in Highway Maintenance.

Cantex-Okanagan Construction has operated since 1971 and has been a key player in countless construction projects across British Columbia during that time. Depending on the number and scale of the projects underway the company could employ as many as 100 workers. For Carey, while winning the accolade is an honour, the company’s involvement in the communities where it works is of even greater significance.

“A large part of what we do is local, we hire locally and while our crews are working we try to support the local communities in every way. When we go into a community whether it’s a living out allowance where we put people up in hotels or buying meals and fuel and parts and supplies from local providers, there can be a fair sized injection of funds into the local community. We’ve always been a big proponent of hiring local, and try very hard to work with local First Nations in terms of hiring as well,” he said.

“Blowing our own horn just isn’t who we are so it’s great that people recognize us within the Ministry.”

working we try to support the local communities in every way.”

PAUL CAREY GM, CANTEX-OKANAGAN

Cantex-Okanagan won its award for the work it did on a road project near 100 Mile House CANTEX-OKANAGAN CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

congratulate Cantex-Okanagan Construction Ltd. for their exceptional accomplishment on their project,” explained Todd Stone, the provincial Transportation Ministry in a recent media release.

Cantex-Okanagan was shortlisted for the honour with two other firms, Interoute Construction Ltd., headquartered in Surrey and Dawson Construction Limited of Kamloops.

“While we don’t have access to all of the criteria the Ministry uses to score projects like this we do know it includes such

things as environmental control, effective traffic management, operational professionalism and how many complaints we may have had through the job, which in this case was zero,” Carey said.

“For me every thing we do, every success we have comes back to the quality of the people

we hire. For us people are number one, our equipment is second.

Our company is certainly not a one man show, it’s the collective team that makes us successful and has won us this award.”

Cantex-Okanagan officially received its honor at the 13th annual BC Road Builders and Heavy Construction Association awards banquet held in Victoria in December. The Contractor of the Year Award has been created to recognize construction and maintenance companies that demonstrate excellence in categories that include Grading, Paving, Bridges and Structures,

Corryn Grayston is the General Manager at the Salmon Arm Chamber of Commerce. She can be reached at (250) 832-6247 or admin@ sachamber.bc.ca

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28

MOVERS & SHAKERS

representative); Kate Stebbings, Trans Mountain; Gary Silver, Staples; Vivek Sharma, Sun Peaks Grand & Conference Centre; Dr. Lindsay B. Langill, Thompson Rivers University; Pamela Johnson, Fulton & Company LLP; Bryce Herman, Advance Hospitality Consulting Services.

KELOWNA Elton Ash, Regional Executive Vice President of RE/MAX of Western Canada, announced the top affiliates from the recent annual RE/MAX Western Canada Awards. The awards recipients featured a number of BC individuals, teams and office, including the RE/MAX Kelowna Office, owned by Cliff Shillington, Jerry Redman, and Peter Kirk, which was awarded a British Columbia Transaction Award.

The Kelowna Chamber of Commerce has announced their new board for 2016, comprised of: Ken Carmichael, President; Tom Dyas, Nomination Chair; Brian Bonsma; Angela Nagy; Stuart Grant; Una Gabie; Al Hildebrandt; Nikki Csek; Jeff Robinson; Andrew Ingenhorst, of Grant Thornton; Silvano Todesco, of Doak Shirreff Lawyers; Martine Hickman; Shelagh Turner; Carmen Sparg; Tracy Gray; Barry McGillivray; Kevin Lavigne; Michele Leeners; and Shelley Gilmore, of United Way Central and South Okanagan/ Similkameen. The Kelowna Chamber has also undergone a number of staff changes, as Dicky Dack, Manager of Events and Operations Manager, shifts her work focus back onto operations. Allison Conroy, who manages the Chamber communications, will be taking over events from Dicky Dack; Sarah Lust will join Conroy on communications and events, changing from her former position at reception.

WestJet Airlines Ltd. is celebrating their 20th anniversary in business this year.

A Platinum Award has been presented to

APRIL 2016

Patricia Livingstone RE/MAX Kelowna for her exceptional sales and service at the annual RE/MAX Awards Ceremony.

Local WHL hockey team, the Kelowna Rockets, celebrate their 25th year as a team.

Silver Star Mountain Resort ski instructor, Norman Kreutz, has been incorporated into the Canadian Ski Instructors Hall of Fame.

Sun-Rype Products Ltd. celebrates 70 years in business this year.

Bekins Moving & Storage Kelowna, owned

by Nathan Miller, has expanded their business to fill a void in the local market left

by Williams Moving, which went bankrupt last year. Bekins Kelowna is now located in former Hiram Walker plant, with a staff of between 22-35 persons, 11 trucks and more than 30 pieces of moving equipment to serve customers.

Kelowna Top Forty Under 40’s latest nominee is a medical oncologist and competitive middle-distance runner, Delilah Topic, who moved to the area from Toronto.

Topic works for the BC Cancer Agency in Kelowna, and is sponsored in her running competitions by SoLo GI Energy Bars, based out of Kelowna.

The Okanagan Centre for Innovation has undergone a rooftop patio renovation project for their 9,000 square foot rooftop area, complete with an artificial lawn installed by SynLawn Okanagan. The project is scheduled to be finished later this year, and has already won a Thompson Okanagan Housing Award for the Outdoor Living Space category.

Winfield and Polson’s Cooper’s Foods grocery stores have closed their doors and reopened as Save-On-Foods locations.

The Kalala Organic Estate Winery in West Kelowna received highest honours at the Chardonnay du Monde competition in France, as their 2013 Chardonnay Icewine was labeled ‘Best Wine in the World’ during the March 8-11th competition.

SALMON ARM Okanagan College has appointed Joan Ragsdale as their new Regional Dean for the Shuswap Revelstoke region. Ragsdale comes from the College of New Caledonia (CNC), where she worked for twenty-one years, and will begin her position with Okanagan College on May 2nd.

The Salmon Arm & District Chamber of Commerce has announced a new date for their Business Excellence Awards, now being held on October 5th, 2016.

The event will take place at the Prestige Harbourfront Resort, beginning at 6pm, and features keynote speaker, Hugh Culver.

• Rooftop Units • Furnaces • Heat Pumps • Built Up Systems • Air Conditioning • Make Up Air Units • Gas Fitting • Sheet Metal • New Equipment Installs • Maintenance Contracts • Hot Water Tanks • Boilers • Fireplaces

Shawn Greek, winner of the 2015 Shuswap Launch-a-Preneur entrepreneurship competition, has opened up the Apollo Auto Centre for business, located at the 4850 – 10th Avenue NE. Salmon Arm company, Farmcrest Foods, now provides Canada’s first verified NonGMO chicken. The product can be found at Chicken Direct in Salmon Arm, Nature’s Fare in Vernon and Kamloops, and Urban Fare and Choices Markets in Kelowna.

KAMLOOPS The Kamloops Chamber of Commerce has elected their board of directors for 2016/2017: Ryan Scorgie, Forward Law LLP – President; Paul Ross, Valley First Insurance – First Vice President; Joshua Knaak, Canadian Western Bank – Second Vice President; Brent Ashby, KPMG – Treasurer; Sandy Vollo, Abbott Wealth Management – Secretary; Stephen Earl, Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott – Immediate Past President. Directors include: Brant Hasanen, Edward Jones Investments (BC Chamber of Commerce

31,090 passengers moved through the Kamloops Airport in February 2016, which is 9.0 per cent higher than in February 2015. The low Canadian dollar combined with excellent winter ski conditions is bringing travelers from across Canada, the United States and other international locations as well.

PENTICTON Will Pratt, part owner of The Bike Barn in Penticton, has become a franchisee of the BC interior’s first mobile bike repair shop, Velofix. The Velofix van is based out of Kelowna, and with the company securing exclusive rights to service the Okanagan for the company, plans to expand are imminent.

Walmart Penticton’s 300 store associates have pledged $30,000 over four years to the South Okanagan Similkameen Medical Foundation’s project to supply medical equipment for the Penticton Regional Hospital’s new patient care tower.

Beltone hearing has been named as a 2016 Business Intelligence Group (BIG) Innovation Awards Winner for their Beltone Legend Custom Hearing Aid. A new business, Duda Nursery Ltd., has opened its doors to the public offering a variety of plants including shade & fruit trees, shrubs, evergreens, and vines. The nursery is located at 2346 Sun Valley Way, Okanagan Falls.

Interior Power Sports is now open for business at 2368 Government Street, selling motorcycle, ATV, snowmobile and other motorsports parts and services.

Lori Lancaster has joined the sales team at Royal LePage Locations West in Penticton.

The Penticton Farmer’s Market won Best in BC in the medium-sized category from the BC Association of Farmers’ Markets held in Kelowna recently. The market has been in operation for 25 years.

SUMMERLAND The Summerland Chamber of Commerce has elected a new executive for 2016, which features: Erick Thompson of ET2media as President, Robert Hacking of Bad Robot Computers & Electronics as Vice President, Michael Hughes of Ripley Stainless as Treasurer, and Kelly Marshall of Summerland Credit Union as Past President. The Executive joins Directors: Kelsey Van Alphen of Alder Street Autobody, Julian Scholefield of Okanagan Crush Pad Winery, Colin Powell of IGA Summerland, and Marion Christian of Sumac Ridge Estate Winery.

Mountainview Landscape Supplies is a business new to the Summerland area that provides all the products needed for garden overhauls.

SEE MOVERS & SHAKERS | PAGE 29

APRIL 2016

MOVERS & SHAKERS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 28

Originally from El Salvador, tattoo artist Erick Vasquez now offers his services at Familia Tattoos, and spends time with his clients to work together to create a detailed, personal design.

Summerland has a new Jamberry nails consultant, Toni Boot, who helps to create signature styles for her customers with Jamberry nail wraps, lacquers, and gel polishes.

OMA Goodness is open for business, providing customers with their delicious salad dressings and marinade products, which feature lemon, fresh pressed garlic and no water added.

NOMAD Cider Ltd. will be wandering into local stores and restaurants this spring with their hand crafted cider from freshpressed apples, grown by local farmers in BC’s Okanagan Valley.

Summerland welcomes Direct Tap, a company that specializes in logistics and distribution for BC’s rapidly growing craft liquor manufacturers.

Social YOU is now available as a new video modeling tool designed to develop socially confident and healthy youth through videos and resources for both professionals and parents.

E.M.S. Consulting is now open for business, offering their bookkeeping services to customers in the Summerland area.

The South Okanagan Victim Assistance Society (SOVAS) has joined the Summerland Chamber of Commerce as a new associate member. SOVAS provides counselling, court support and information to men, women and children who have experienced abuse.

Established in 2010, Bead Trails has grown into a popular Summerland attraction. 2015 saw the Bead Trails Experience expand from seven Okanagan communities to nine, and this year the company adds Vernon and Armstrong

MOVERS & SHAKERS to Summerland, Kelowna/Lake Country, Westside, Peachland, Penticton, Naramata, Penticton, Oliver & Osoyoos.

The Bead Trails now directs tourists from as far-afield as the Merritt Visitor Centre to 164 businesses, artists and organizations in the region with 24 Summerland businesses on the trail, including the Kettle Valley Railway, the Art Gallery and Artisans of the Okanagan.

board to help tell the story of the small, agricultural biotechnology company based here in Summerland, that specializes in developing tree fruit varieties with novel attributes that benefit fruit producers and consumers alike. The company’s recent development of the Arctic® apple varieties made news due to their ability to keep their natural colour when they are sliced, bitten, and frozen.

Back Door Winery has opened for business by Pieter and Leizel Smits, as of last August. The winery is located right on Highway 97 at Jones Flat Road. The vineyard was there previously but Pieter restored it after deciding to move to Summerland from Alberta to raise a family in a more rural setting. His parents, Ada and Arjan Smits, owners of Sonoran Estate Winery, passed on their love of winemaking to Pieter and he hopes to produce 6,000 cases of wine this year from grapes grown in his vineyard. Restoration is another passion of the family and they feature recycled crafts and furniture in the wine store, which also benefitted from finds at local thrift stores and Habitat for Humanity’s Restore.

The Summerland Waterfront Resort is this month celebrating its ranking as 4th out of 157 “Hotels in the Okanagan” on TripAdvisor. To ensure they continue to receive great reviews from their customers the Resort has been updating its services and facilities. In their events room they have upgraded their audiovisual system with a beautiful new projector and dedicated sound system. In the guest rooms the resort is investing for a comprehensive telecommunications and internet upgrade to create a faster, more efficient experience for guests.

Harvey and Eleanor Brown of Harvelle House celebrated the first year anniversary of opening their bed and breakfast operation. In their first year they were able to play a part in weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, family trips, first trips to the country, business trips, wine tours, sporting events, and get-a-ways for couples.

Craft bakery and grain mill, True Grain Bread, with locations in Summerland and Cowichan Bay on Vancouver Island, is moving to baking exclusively with BC grown organic flour. As of April 2016, everything True Grain bakes will be made with organic BC-farmed and BC-milled flour. True Grain flour is available in many BC grocery stores and available to craft bakeries in BC. Okanagan Specialty Fruits Inc. (OSF) recently welcomed two new team members, Jessica Brady and Chris Creese, to their marketing and communications team. The new staff were brought on

Summerland’s Saxon Estate Winery is the first winery in the country to take advantage of crowd funding to finance their business, by launching a fundraising campaign on SeedUps.ca. The project allows small investors to invest in the winery for as little as $1500, while the money goes towards expanding the facility by adding an English-themed Tea Room, and broadened wine-making capabilities.

VERNON

29

sanctioned by the WordPress Foundation, sponsored by a variety of international donors, and designed to increase the skill level of bloggers under the renowned blog publishing platform. The city joins a list of cities including London, Vancouver, Montreal and San Francisco hosting WordCamp conferences this year.

The Canada West Ski Areas Association has named Christopher Nicolson as their new President and CEO. Nicolson has worked with Sun Peaks, Silver Star, Forbidden Plateau, Whistler Blackcomb, and St. Anton, Austria.

The team at Affordable Auto Repairs, owned by Chris August, has earned the NAPA Excellence Training platinum certification for the shop. August’s team consists of Jessie Parr-Pearson, Jordan Nordstrom-Young, and Wes Hofsink.

Voyager RV of Vernon has donated $30,000 to aid in construction efforts for a student facility for the trades training complex at Okanagan College in Kelowna.

Two Vernon realtors, Gord Fowler and Lisa Salt, have been recognized with a Re/Max Titan Club Award for reaching the second highest sales volume internationally throughout the past year.

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Vernon is hosting a WordCamp all-day conference on April 30th, at the Atrium Hotel and Conference Centre. The camp is

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than 30 pieces of moving equipment.

He also consolidated his operation by moving into the old Hiram Walker plant in Winfield. There, he enjoys 12,000 square feet of storage space, with room to expand.

“We just continued to grow,” says Miller. “We’re at 85 per cent capacity already. I’ll probably be looking to expand again in the next six months.”

As the main Kelowna movers in the area, Williams created a major vacuum in the market when they closed. Miller saw an opportunity and seized it. The first thing he did was reach out to Larry Rosenberg, owner of the Bekins Moving chain.

In becoming the sixth Bekins branch in BC—there are three on Vancouver Island, one in Prince George and another in Richmond—Miller instantly became part of the largest moving company in Western Canada.

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Vancouver Island | Victoria | thompson-okanagan | Fraser Valley

Bekins Moving and Storage takes over as the premier moving company in the Okanagan

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E L OW NA - It wa sn’t a l l t h at long ago that Nathan Miller was wondering what he’d be doing to earn a paycheque. When Williams Moving went bankrupt in January 2015, Miller’s affiliate company, Nathan’s Moving, also took a hit. However, in the span of a year, he has reinvented himself as one of the premier Kelowna movers in the area.

“It was pretty much a doom-and-gloom situation where I could just curl up in a ball and cry, or I could do something about it,” recalls Miller, upon receiving the news of Williams’ collapse. “I’m not one to lay around waiting. I’m a firm believer that the work is out there, you just have to go out and get it.”

In a little over a year, Miller expanded his company from just three trucks and five employees to an operation that boasts a staff of 22 (and as many as 35 during peak summer periods), 11 trucks and more

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your source of local Business news www.businessvi.ca www.businessexaminer.ca

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OPINION

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APRIL 2016 A division of Invest Northwest Publishing Ltd. Thompson Okanagan Office #210-347 Leon Avenue, Kelowna, BC V1Y 8C7 Toll free: 1.866.758.2684 Fax: 1.778.441.3373 Email: info@businessexaminer.ca Website: www.businessexaminer.ca

PUBLISHER/EDITOR | Lise MacDonald, lise@businessexaminer.ca SALES | Joanne Iormetti – joanne@businessexaminer.ca, Thom Klos –

thom@businessexaminer.ca, Josh Higgins – josh@businessexaminer.ca WRITERS | Julia MacDonald, John MacDonald, Beth Hendry-Yim, David Holmes, Linda Wenger WEBSITE | John MacDonald

MUCH THOUGHT NEEDED BEFORE INVESTING IN EDUCATION

MARK MACDONALD

I

t is commonly explained that in the very near future, 8 out of 10 jobs will require postsecondary accreditation.

There are plenty of options for obtaining education: Universities, colleges, technical schools, amongst others. It’s a wide and varied marketplace, and competition for students, or “educational customers” as it were, is very real.

Competition is healthy. There’s nothing that can cause an individual, business or organization to improve offerings qu icker t h a n h av i ng two or more alternatives to what you’re providing.

However, when it comes to “selling” young, impressionable students on a certain institution or educational track, it behooves

councilors to lay out possibilities very gently. And objectively.

Ex tra measu res need to be taken to ensure that the student’s best interests are first and foremost, and that their skill sets and interests match the field of study they’re being guided towards. And last, but not least: At the end of the day when the degree has been obtained: Are there going to be any jobs in that sector?

How dare we question the motives and intentions of educational counselors, right? Well, there are more than a few stories out there of new students moving through the system, accumulating mountains of student debt, and ending up with jobs that will almost guarantee they’ll never be able to pay back the student loans they’ve signed for along the way.

Like a young woman who spent four-plus years earning a degree that the marketplace pays in the neighborhood of $15 per hour, for which she has over $60,000 in student loans. With that rate of pay and even a very prudent lifestyle, it could take them 2530 years to pay for their schooling, if at all.

Or the man who worked hard for a degree in a very specialized

a s p e c t of e n g i n e e r i n g, b ut wasn’t able to get a job in that field for over 30 years.

The answer, then, is “free” education, correct? Absolutely not.

Think of the not so unusual child who is given a bicycle, or something else of reasonable value, which they enjoy, while thrashing it and rendering it recyclable in short order. Yet, when that same kid buys a bike themselves – or later, a car – they take care of it as if it were the Crown Jewels. They’ve paid for it, recognize the value thereof, and maintain it carefully.

Not to mention the fact that, even if the education is “free” from a monetary standpoint, chasing a dead-end degree also means a waste of time, in some cases four years or more of their lives.

The truth is, nothing is free.

Students who are promised “free education” now fail to realize that they will pay for that, later, in taxes.

Largely, the upcoming generation of students seems to be oblivious to concepts like debt.

Everything has been provided for them to this stage in their life, and they don’t pay taxes.

And interest rates are so low,

compared to the 20-plus per cent of the 1970’s and 1980’s.

They will get it, eventually, once they start paying taxes, and realize how much of their paycheques evaporate into various forms of government taxation.

They haven’t yet experienced that exhilaration, but they surely will.

No, the answer isn’t free education. It’s student-centered cou nsel i ng a nd appropriate aptitude tests that ensure our youth are pointed in the right direction to maximize their talents and opportunities.

There are plenty of tests available to help determine one’s strengths and talents, like Myers Briggs, for example. If a young p erson cou ld ident i f y wh at they’d actually be suited for and successful in, wouldn’t that be extremely helpful from the start, when they’re determining which vocation to pursue?

It’s alarming to observe that Canadian youths are now behind some of the world’s most progressive nations in terms of education. Germany, for example, graduates many tradespeople at age 17, ready for the workforce, primarily because they’ve identified skill sets in the early teens and guided those individuals

along paths in high school that match their abilities and desires.

How ma ny Ca nad ia n ch i ld ren ex it secondary schools having no idea what they can, should, or want to do? Why is that? Shouldn’t there be earlier attempts by parents and the educational system to identify which students would be best in intellectual pursuits, white collar opportunities, or in the trades?

Absolutely there should. It’s not just something that should be discussed around the kitchen table. The responsibility to raise a productive, society contributing young person also lies at the feet of not just the educational facility, but those who provide critical guidance at the start of the process.

Yes, investment in education is important. But it ought not be a guessing game, where a successful graduate obtaining a well paying job in their vocation of choice shares the same odds as winning the lottery. Everything possible should be done to make sure students are guided in the right direction for their sake – as opposed to the possibility of just being viewed as a another fee-paying registrant.

They deserve that.

PREMIER CLARK’S RECORD ON FISCAL POLICY IS POSITIVE

CHARLES LAMMAM, HUGH MACINTYRE AND ROBERT MURPHY THE FRASER INSTITUTE

P

roposals to increase the minimum wage have re-emerged in provinces across the country. For instance, the Alberta government recently pledged to hike the provincial minimum wage from $10.20 to $15 per hour by 2018, already taking the first step with a $1 hike effective October 1, 2015.

There has been a similar movement to raise the minimum wage to $15 in various jurisdictions in the United States.

Popular support for the minimum wage largely derives from the belief

that it is a useful tool for boosting the wages of poor workers. However, the evidence paints a much different picture. For starters, the minimum wage does not effectively target workers in low-income households. In fact, 87.5 per cent of Canadians earning minimum wage in 2012 lived in households above the Low Income Cut-Off (LICO), a widely used measure of relative poverty. Moreover, the vast majority of workers (83.4%) from households falling below the LICO threshold earned more than the minimum wage.

These counterintuitive results follow from the demographic composition of minimum wage earners.

In 2014, 58.4 per cent of those earning minimum wage were youths aged 15 to 24. Furthermore, 56.8 per cent of all minimum wage earners were living with family, while 19.9 per cent were married to a spouse who was also employed. Taken together, the data undercut the popular image of minimum wage earners being single breadwinners supporting a family. In fact, only 2.2 per cent of those earning minimum wage were unmarried heads of household with at least

one minor child.

The tenuous link between minimum wage earners and poor households makes the minimum wage a very crude method for targeting assistance to those who need it. At the same time, hiking the minimum wage can do considerable harm, most notably by decreasing employment opportunities among low-skilled workers—the very group the policy is designed to help. By making labour artificially more expensive, increasing the minimum wage may significantly reduce employment among teenagers and other groups of low-skilled workers. Besides reducing employment outright, hiking the minimum wage could lead to a reduction in hours and other benefits (such as on-the-job training) for those workers who keep their jobs.

There is an enormous body of empirical research examining the effects of the minimum wage.

Canadian studies are considered of higher quality than US studies be-cause (among other reasons) there is a wider variability in the provincial Canadian mini-mumwage variable. The Canadian

literature generally finds that a 10 per cent increase in the minimum wage reduces employment among teens and young adults (ages 15 to 24) by 3 per cent to 6 per cent. By making it harder for low-skilled workers to obtain an entry-level position, the minimum wage may perversely hinder the development of human capital and harm the long-term career prospects of the very people it ostensibly helps.

Indeed, Canadian researchers have found that hiking the minimum wage has no statistically significant impact on poverty and in some cases can increase it. Up through the 1980s, research in the United States reached similar conclusions, though the impact of the minimum wage on youth employment was not as severe as re-ported in the Canadian studies. It is true that a wave of “new minimum wage research” emerged in the United States in the 1990s, challenging the original consensus. However, there have been dozens of US studies since then that endorse the original findings, some of which employ techniques similar to those of the revisionist studies. Furthermore, some leading researchers in the

field actively dispute the validity of the “new” approaches.

Fortunately, rather than the dubious policy of increasing the minimum wage, there is a better option for helping workers from poor households, namely increasing the Working Income Tax Benefit (WITB). This Canadian program is a refundable tax credit that allows qualifying low-wage workers to keep more of their earnings, effectively subsidizing them to work more. Unlike traditional welfare programs, the WITB is specifically designed to minimize the disincentives that can occur when government assistance is removed at higher income levels. Because it targets the desired individuals more accurately and avoids price controls, the WITB is a much more sensible (although not flawless) approach to channeling resources to the aid of workers from low-income households.

Authors from the Fraser Institute; Charles Lammam, Director of Fiscal Studies, Hugh MacIntyre, Policy Analyst and Robert Murphy a Senior Fellow.

SUBCRIPTIONS | $45 PER YEAR (12 ISSUES), $80 FOR 2 YEARS (24 ISSUES), SUBSCRIBE ONLINE: WWW.BUSINESSEXAMINER.CA. DISTRIBUTION: FOURTH WEEK OF EACH MONTH VIA CANADA POST AD MAIL. The publisher accepts no responsibility for unsolicited submissions. The views and opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher. Produced and published in British Columbia. All contents copyright Business Examiner Thompson Okanagan, 2016. Canadian Publications Mail Acct.: 40069240

SALES/GREENSHEET

APRIL 2016

“ SUCCESS” (GASP)

SALES JOHN GLENNON

A

young ambitious sales professional wished to be top dog, not just in his company, but in his industry, so he sought counsel from a wise man. “Tell me, oh wise man, what do I need, in order to be the best sales professional in my business?”

To which, the wise man commanded the young man to bring him a pail of water. Thirty minutes later the ambitious salesman returns with a bucket, overflowing with water.

“Now, submerge your head in the water” the wise man commanded.

So without questioning, the young contender, placed his head, up to the nape of his neck in water. The wise man then gently placed the palm of his strongest hand and the back of the young man’s head.

For the first minute, nothing happened. Then, the young salesman, running out of breath, attempted

ment SIMONE SUNDERLAND

IS IT EASY TO DO BUSINESS WITH YOU?

to take his head out. At this point the wise man put considerably more pressure on the submerged head, such that it remained fully submersed.

With no more air in his lungs, the young man, began to flail about in a desperate attempt to escape certain death. The wise man continued to hold his head under water, until the salesman’s sustained attempts to escape reached fever pitch...at which point the old man released his vice like grip. The young man head shot out of the water desperately gasping for air.

“Why did you do that?” he demanded, to which the sage responded, “To show you what you need, to be the best.”

“I don’t get it”, the salesman retorted. “ I t’s s i m p l e” t h e w i s e m a n counseled...”when you want success as much as you just wanted oxygen, then you’ll be successful” Copyright 2015 Sandler Training and Insight Sales Consulting Inc. All rights reserved.

John Glennon is the owner of Insight Sales Consulting Inc, an authorized Sandler Training Licensee. He can be reached at jglennon@sandler.com, toll free at 1-866-645-2047 or visit www. glennon.sandler.com

GREEN SHEET BUILDING BRIEFS

ny

ment

n to poser to lone last ish a oals the

HIRING LUCY GLENNON

H

ave you ever been frustrated because doing business withacertaincompanywas harder than you thought it should be? Have you thought about your own organization the same way? It may be difficult to do business with you,andyoumaynotevenrealizeit.

Recently I was trying to buy some gift cards to one of my favorite restaurants. The idea crossed my mind while they were closed so I went online to see if I could do it on their website. First I was excited to see that they had a promotion for every $100 spent, you would get a $10 bonus gift card. I thought I could just select a quantity with $100 each on them.

Unfortunately, this was not the case.

Quickly I became frustrated because the only way I could figure out to do it was to put in each

balconies with painted metal guardrails, tempered glazing – 29 parking stall parkade – 23 above ground parking stalls – walking paths

individual recipient and then they would receive an email with a gift certificate. I had no desire to spend the time to put in the details for all the people I wanted to send the gift card to. So I waited until the next morning and called the restaurant.

Imagine my shock when I found out they did not want to help me!

The person who answered the phone told me that they preferred to have me go online to buy the gift cards. And if I came in they would not give me the extra $10 bonus.

So I decided not to buy gift cards from this restaurant. The experience really made me wonder if others had the same frustration, so I asked around. I found dozens of people with a similar experience - not all from the same restaurant - however the same frustration overall. I wonder if these restaurants have any idea of how much money they have lost by making it hard for people to do business with them.

It would be nice if it was only these isolated incidents with restaurants, however it is not. While I was asking around I found people who shared hundreds of experiences where they choose not to do business with a certain company because it was harder than it needed to be.

The stories that were shared

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ARCHITECT TRTA Architecture Ltd – 101 2903 35 St, Vernon 250-545-0784

PROJECT STATUS Construction start anticipated late spring/16

DESIGNER U-neek Thinking – 8186 Keddleston Rd, Vernon 250-938-2617

SIMONE SUNDERLAND ARCHITECT Garry Tomporowski Arch – 243 1889 Springfield Rd, Kelowna 250-979-1668

WEST KELOWNA

PROJECT PROJECT New commercial marina facilNew water facility GENERAL - the dis-CONTRACTOR ity – 276 boat slipstreatment – breakwater LOCATION TrakmethConstruction – 546 Bernard trict is currently testing several – marine servicing and fueling LOCATION Rose Hill Pl – Single Family Ave, Kelowna ods including membrane technology LOCATION facilities – public and private boat 1759 Trans Canada Hwy E – Dwellings – Rose Hill Place 250-861-3413 launches – onsite and offsite valet PROJECT STATUS 175 Kokanee Ramada Hotel Riders MotorWay Inn -Addition parkingDesign – to beunderway developed -inTender 2 or call PROJECT TYPE OWNER for PROJECT TYPE Subdivisions more Phases PROJECT TYPE MKS Resources Inc – 546 Bernard General Contractor anticipated commercial Commercialnew add/alter Ave, Kelowna PROJECT STATUS PROJECT July/14 - construction completion 250-868-2324 PROJECT Construction start anticipated New residential subdivision – 12 PROJECT anticipated late 2015 LOCATION Addition to the Riders – construction anticipated SFDs New Ramada Hotel in theMotor Campbell April/16 CONSULTANT 2241 Springfield Rd - Mission Inn –industrial 2 storeys park – 5 units – Creek - 4 storeys - to complete late fall/16 Opus Dayton Knight - 255 1715 enclosure of an unused pool Crossing Westside PROJECT STATUS 3,780 sm - 80 rooms - restaurant - pool Building permit application subDEVELOPER Dickson Ave, V1Y 9G6 250-868-4925 area for a sauna and hot tub with waterslide - elevators - concreteTwin Anchors Houseboats – 101 PROJECT TYPE mission anticipated spring/16 – area LOCATION commercial new construction - roof articulation with MartinOWNER St, Sicamous site servicing complete – Retail – porte cochere - asphalt shingles - 98 800-663-4026 PROJECT STATUS District of Sicamous - 1214 540 Osprey Ave DEVELOPER – PROJECT Residential – Sole Construction surface parkingstart stallsanticipated Riverside Ave, Sicamous V0ECommercial 2V0 Homes Ltd – 6 1718 Byland 5forty New commercial urbanPentar lifestyle April/16 250-836-2477 PROJECT STATUS Rd, West Kelowna centre 6 buildings 2 to 7 storeys PROJECT TYPE 778-755-6167 DESIGNER start anticipated late PROJECT MANAGER Construction Mixed-use dev- retail commercial at ground level Triggs Engineering Ltd – 102 2014 MHPM - 550 555 W 12th Ave, with office units above - underground LOCATION 147 Victoria St, Kamloops PROJECT Vancouver V5ZRd3X7 parkade - 80 above ground short ARCHITECT 519 529 539 Truswell – 604-714-0988 250-372-3687 New mixed useterm building – 5 storeys parking stalls Commercial – Condominiums DF Architecture Inc - 1205 4871 Shell – main floor retail space, office

KAMLOOPS KAMLOOPS

CENTRAL OKANAGAN REGIONAL DISTRICT

KELOWNA

KELOWNA

PEACHLAND

PROJECT STATUS LOCATION space – 4 storeys of residential, 6 units, patio space – exteriorpermit application Development 5325 Trepanier Bench Rd and 5334 DEVELOPER coloured concrete with textured Huston Rd – Townhouses – Huston submitted LOCATION Prism Ventures Inc - 3571 Barmond PROJECT finish, stucco, split face masonry Road Cluster Housing ARCHITECT New mixed use development – 6 Ave, Richmond V7E 1A4 604-338-4656 block, corrugated metal, wood finLOCATION PROJECT TYPE To Be Determined Ice Facility storeys – 18 condominium units Ekistics Town PlanningMulti-family - 1925 Main ish fibreglass siding 200 Old Town Rd W – Twin new OWNER including 2 penthouse PROJECT TYPEunits St, Vancouver V5T 3C1 604-739-7526 Anchors Houseboats Marina – 1,500 sf to 3,050 sfadd/alter – 3 comPROJECT STATUS PROJECT Prism Hotels and Resorts - 800 institutional DEVELOPER Development permit application New townhouses – 14 fourPROJECT TYPE Blvd, Dallas Texasmercial ground level units – flat 14800 Landmark PROJECT R366 Enterprises Ltd 4870B Chute, submitted Commercial new plex buildings – 2 storeys – 52 roof, stucco, fibre cement siding, 75254 214-987-9300

VERNON

Rd, Richmond V6X 3Z6 604-284-5194 PROJECT TYPE

SICAMOUS

31

mixed-use dev

New ice facility for the Greater Vernon area to replace the aging Civic Arena - 4,000 seats - may be

Kelowna V1W 4M3 250-764-8963

GENERAL CONTRACTOR Lambert and Paul Construction Ltd -

with me were amazing - the lost opportunities for the businesses were countless. I heard things that ranged from websites that were too complicated, to overly long hold times on the phone, to being asked tocallbackandtalktosomeoneelse, tonotbeingabletofindcontactinfo, to having employees that did not know anything, to not taking certain credit cards, just to name a few.

Likely you can relate to this as a consumer - because you can think of a time you chose not to do business with a company or person because they made it harder than you thought it needed to be. However, when was the last time you spent time and energy to understand what prospective clients think of doing business with your organization and you?

If you have not done this recently it could be the key to figuring out some of the simplest and easiest ways to grow your own business through superior customer service. If we make it hard for others to do business with us, they will find another company who makes it easier for them.

Lucy Glennon can be reached at 866-645-2047 or lucyg@ hireguru.com and her website is www.hireguru.ca residential units – attached garages PROJECT STATUS Rezoning application and form and character development permit approval anticipated May/16 ARCHITECT New Town Planning Services Inc – 1464 St Paul St, Kelowna 250-860-8185

OKANAGAN SIMILKAMEEN REG DIST LOCATION

2141 Willies Ranch Rd, Princeton – RockRidge Canyon Lodge – Club Room Auditorium PROJECT TYPE Commercial add/alter PROJECT Club Room Auditorium addition to the RockRidge Canyon – conference centre – 2 storeys – 12,000 sf – 2 meeting rooms – lobby – seating for 350 PROJECT STATUS Foundations anticipated to start mid April/16 – construction completion anticipated spring/17 GENERAL CONSTRUCTION Ledcor Construction Ltd – 4-3302 Appaloosa Rd, Kelowna 250-491-2991 OWNER Young Life of Canada – 120-9440 202 St, Langley 604-881-6023